A New Hope
by Amme Moto
Summary: They should have known better than to make Connan mad. Now that she's through being toyed with, the future will soon realize their mistake. She's going to take down the Galactic Empire if it kills her. COMPLETE.
1. Opposition of Fates

"_**I think the city echoes with a clash of cries.  
**__**Pour vinegar and oil into the selfsame bowl,  
**__**You could not say they mix in friendship, but fight on.  
**__**Thus variant sound the voices of the conquerors  
**__**And conquered, from the opposition of their fates."**_

—_**Agamemnon**_

**Chapter One: Opposition of Fates**

Connan yawned and stretched. She squinted and thought for a moment. _What day is it? _She took a glance at a datapad and groaned.

They'd been away from Nar Shadaa for almost a month now. After they took the detour for Donella to pick up Mical over near Coruscant (which Connan was _not _happy about; it took two weeks to get to Coruscant from the _border_ of the Outer Rim, and they were pressed for time enough as it was), they were now on their way to Telos, which they would reach in a matter of hours. Her time of resting was over.

She sat up from the cot and instantly wished she hadn't. Her stomach flipped upside down, and she clutched it to keep from becoming sick. She shook her head roughly from side to side and stood up.

Maybe she'd spent too long on this ship. It was strange thinking, because she loved the _Ebon Hawk _almost as much as she loved the crew, but it was the only thing she could think of. Maybe she should go to Jolee to get some medicine.

Connan wandered through the ship toward the medical bay, and Jolee laughed at her condition.

"My, my, lass. You look horrible! Come sit down." The old man yanked at her arm before she could tell him not to and dragged her inside and onto a cot.

"I'm fine, really." Connan excused. "I just need something for my stomach."

Jolee blinked at her. "You're nauseous?"

Connan nodded before she decided not to. It made her stomach churn. "I'm not sure what happened. Yesterday I was fine. This morning I woke up and felt like I was going to throw up."

The old man handed Connan a few light blue pills. "Take those. If you're sick again tomorrow, tell me."

Connan nodded her thanks, downed the pills, and leapt off to go find Carth. She was in a surprisingly good mood for someone who felt like they were going to heave up whatever was in their stomach.

She felt better before she even stepped foot into the cockpit. With a contented sigh she plopped down beside Carth in the co-pilot seat and looked over at him. She caught him staring intently at her, as if she'd done something completely shocking.

It drove her crazy. Her good mood was ruined.

"Keep staring," She snapped. "I might do a trick."

Carth blinked a few times before he frowned. "Are you all right?" He asked, leaning over to place a hand on her forehead. She pulled away. "You look…. Different."

"I'm _fine_." She stated. "I'm just sick of doing _nothing_. We've been in this ship for a month now and we're just _barely _getting to where we need to be? We've wasted _way _too much time."

"Aw," Carth crooned, a silly smile forming on his face. "Someone's got cabin fever."

"I don't know what I have, but I'm extremely annoyed that I haven't been able to get rid of it."

"Well, we'll be landing in a few hours, do you want to go ahead and get clearance from Lieutenant Grenn?" Carth asked. When Connan stared at him without telling him not to, Carth presses a button on the dashboard of the _Hawk_. "Here you go."

They waited a few minutes while the soldiers of the Telosian Security Force located Grenn and told him he had a call.

They came face to face with Dol Grenn, still old, grumpy and wrinkly-skinned in Connan's opinion. She put on a bright smile for him and waved.

"Good morning Lieutenant!" She called. "How have you been?"

"_Better, since I stopped worrying about who was going to attack Telos next,"_ The man replied.

"Yes, we did stop that before it got too out of hand, didn't we?" Connan nodded, rubbing her chin. "Well, you know what I always say: 'make an example out of someone powerful and the lesser won't do a thing.'"

"You've never said that." Carth joined in. Connan smirked at him.

"Not to you." She replied.

"_Not to sound rude, Revan," _Grenn stopped to shake his head. _"Or Connan, or whatever you call yourself these days, but what do you want?"_

Connan crossed her arms. "Can't I call without having to want something?"

"_No." _Grenn replied. Connan laughed. _"I don't think so, anyway. How many men is this going to cost me?"_

"That's all right." She said. "We don't need men. We need space."

"_Come again?"_

"We're trying to get to the Polar Region of Telos, but there're two ships, so we can't land them both there. We we'll need space enough to hold one ship so we can pile everyone into the other."

Grenn sighed and rubbed his temples, like he'd been expecting something so ludicrous.

"It's not like you can't spare me the space," Connan crossed one leg over the other and leaned back into the chair. "What with my taking down Czerka and all that, I'd say you owe me."

Carth snickered at the tired look on Grenn's face.

"_I suppose if I don't give it to you, you'll just take it anyway. At least this way we don't have to chase you around the planet." _He shook his head and pressed a few buttons. _"You have our permission to land. I've given you two landing docks, so you can land both ships and regroup in one of them. We'll watch the other."_

Connan nodded, waved goodbye, and turned off the screen.

"Good. Let's start landing." She stretched. "Force, I'm _hungry_!"

**XXXXX**

After getting a quick bite to eat, Connan made a quick communication to the ship following them, the _Faultless Eagle_ (a very fitting name, since Bao-Dur and Donella made routine runs throughout the day to check for faults, the ship was almost always completely taken care of), telling them to follow the _Ebon Hawk _into the Telos landing docks so they could all pile into the _Faultless Eagle—_because Atris would let that ship in and wouldn't suspect Connan to be on it—and head off for the polar region.

Not an hour or two later they landed in the docks.

Connan was the first off of the ship, having had more than her share of the ship for the month. She twirled around and stretched, feeling suddenly happy to be somewhere that wasn't a ship.

She heard Bastila laugh behind her and whirled around to face her.

"You're in a good mood." Her best friend observed.

"Of course I am!" Connan grinned. "After a month of just sitting around and traveling, we're finally going to get something _done_!"

Bastila laughed, and then her face grew serious. She tugged at her robes and stared at Connan seriously.

"Connan," She started. "Promise me you won't cause her any sort of mental trauma."

Connan cocked an eyebrow as Mission came running off of the ship. "What makes you think I would?"

"I've seen your temper before, Connan." Bastila warned. "And it's not pretty, especially when you decide to retract it and save it for later, like you seem to have done in this situation."

Connan frowned. That certainly wasn't true. She opened her mouth to retort.

"Don't say it's not true," Mission leapt up behind Connan and wrapped her arms around the Jedi's neck. Connan instinctively reached back to secure Mission in her piggyback position. The Twi'lek shrugged. "Because we all know it is. Let's face it: when you're mad you take it out on the next person who purposefully pushes one of your buttons."

"Or the next person who gets in your way." Bastila added.

"I don't see how it affects _you_, since you know full well I'm not going to hurt any one of you." Connan began walking around, spinning sharply. She grinned at Mission's squeak and the Twi'lek tightened her hold around Connan's neck.

"_I'm _going with you, and _I _don't want to have to stop you from killing someone." Bastila argued.

Connan watched as Carth came down the ramp after them, and she turned to Bastila.

"Dear Bastila, why would I want to _kill _Atris? I can't get any help from a dead body."

**XXXXX**

In the end they chose Donella's ship to take them to the polar region, because there were better places to hide people and Connan would need to be out of sight and cloaked from the Force if Atris was going to let them into the Academy.

Atris and Connan had never liked each other. Even when Connan was Revan, the two of them were always mudslinging at each other. Of course, because Atris was big into keeping to the Jedi Code and Connan couldn't have cared less if someone paid her, Connan won most of the scuffles they came into.

Connan pulled open the floor beneath her and dropped into the empty space below. The _Faultless Eagle _had many places to harbor people without anyone knowing. Before she could close it up again another body leapt down beside her and fastened the flooring into place.

Connan blinked for a few seconds before Carth lit a small flashlight that illuminated the room.

"What are you doing down here?" Connan asked him, raising an eyebrow. He pecked a small kiss to her lips and grinned.

"Atris knows you too well, we decided." Carth informed. "Wherever your old crew is, you're sure to not be that far behind. It will be safer for everyone if the rest of us are hidden, too." Before Connan could say anything else Carth wrapped his arms around her and had them situated up against the wall comfortably. "Everyone else is hidden along other floorboards, and everyone who isn't a Jedi is with a Jedi so they can be cloaked."

Connan nodded. In truth, she hadn't wanted to be alone in the small compartment anyway. She wasn't claustrophobic, but being in such small quarters in the complete darkness by herself would have irked her more than she already was.

Carth seemed to sense she was still a bit uneasy, because he wrapped his arms tighter around her, laying light kisses on her neck. Connan pulled one of his hands up and began playing with the fingers aimlessly, feeling the roughness and comparing sizes between his hand and hers.

"Do you think it was my fault?" Connan suddenly asked. Carth frowned.

"What was your fault?" He inquired.

"Anakin." Connan clarified. "Windu. The fate of the Jedi. Force, the fate of the whole damn Republic."

Carth held her tighter with his one arm, allowing her access to his other hand so she wouldn't have to look him in the face. He knew questions like this embarrassed her whenever she asked them.

"No, of course it wasn't your fault." Carth replied. He kept his voice quiet, and he spoke next to her ear. "There were factors we hadn't anticipated, like the fact that Anakin would actually _fall_. You did everything in your power to help the Republic through its turmoil, and it fell anyway. No one could have stopped it."

"But if I had just—"

"You wouldn't have taken things into your own hands," Carth interrupted, because he knew what she was going to ask. "We still don't know everything about this whole 'time' thing, and you wouldn't have done anything to compromise the future by interfering unless it was completely unavoidable."

"That's true," Connan snorted. "And this definitely calls for interfering."

Carth chuckled, pulling Connan as close as he could. "Of course it does."

There was silence for a few minutes, while Connan toyed with his fingers mindlessly.

"Thank you, Carth," She said after a while.

"I'm just glad you're in a better mood than you were in this morning." Carth replied. "What made you like that?"

"I wasn't feeling well this morning." Connan reluctantly admitted. She could feel Carth shift instantly beside her and she was pressed against the wall. Carth's large hands were retracted and replaced at Connan's forehead. "But Jolee gave me something for it, so I'm fine."

"Connan, you never get sick." Carth observed. "If you're feeling unwell now, it's not a good thing."

"I'm probably just anxious to get to those holocrons." Connan insisted. Carth glared at her, obviously not believing her. "Look, Jolee gave me some pills to take, and they've already taken care of it. I'm fine."

"All right…." Carth conceded. "But if you get even sicker, you come to me. Got that?"

For a moment Connan's temper flared. She did _not _need looking after. She opened her mouth to tell him so when she heard conversation up above them.

"Quiet." She said instead, closing her eyes and using the Force to make them practically invisible to the Handmaidens, who would surely be searching the ship for stowaways. Atris would not put herself in such danger by getting onto a ship herself.

"Brianna, so good to see you again," Donella said loudly. "I trust you are well."

Brianna—the youngest of the six handmaidens—replied with some polite answer, but Connan didn't hear it. She was too busy swearing.

Atris had reason to hate Connan. The two were horrible to each other since Connan came into the Jedi training as Revan. They spent the first fourteen years of Connan's life as a Jedi arguing and trying to get the other into trouble. The resentment between the two of them was expected.

But Brianna hated Connan for the hell of it.

At first Connan thought it was because Atris didn't like her very much. Surely the sentiments of the leader would reflect upon the servants. (Brianna hadn't been very pleased to hear Connan speculate on the subject, but for the record, the handmaiden _wasn't _giving any reasons of her own, so Connan was forced to make up her own.) But no, it went beyond that, even when Connan returned to convince Atris that she had in fact fallen to the Dark Side and had to block away the Handmaidens so Donella could get inside Atris' fortress, Brianna had been bitter toward the Jedi.

And if anyone would be suspicious of Donella hiding someone, it would especially be Brianna.

For good measure, Connan focused more on her Force Cloak, adding another layer. She could feel the extra layer weighing down on her shoulders and pushing her head down forcefully.

Then something happened.

An extra wave of Force Connan didn't remember passing washed over them, adding to the Cloak. It had taken Connan by surprise, and she could barely hold herself up.

Where had _that _come from? She hadn't lost control of her powers since the beginning of her training; Kreia had been quick to make sure she had a handle on her powers before anything could happen.

And that extra blast could have easily been dangerous. Anymore pressure added, and their necks might have snapped. She could feel the strain already.

She could only imagine what Carth was feeling.

"Connan—"

"Sorry about that. But stay still." She barely whispered. She rubbed his hand encouragingly. "I put on another layer of the Cloak. It weighs more but it lessens the chance of someone finding us."

Carth paused for a second. "You're worried about someone finding us?"

"It's Brianna up there." Connan explained. "If anyone could find us, it's her."

Before Carth could reply there were footsteps above them, and Connan pressed their bodies together, trying to lessen the space so much that they would disappear.

The footsteps stopped right above them, and Connan buried her face in Carth's shoulder, determined to calm her breathing.

"Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?" Brianna's voice sounded up above them.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Donella replied. "You've seen all the smuggling compartments. There's nothing there. What more do you want?"

There was a pause as Brianna considered where else she could search. Connan held her breath, considering whether or not to add another layer to the Force Cloak. They were already weighted down enough as it was with the pressure, and she didn't want to put any more strain on them, but she couldn't risk Brianna finding them and the hangar doors close on them before they have a chance to get to Atris.

"Very well." Brianna moved away. "You and your crew can come aboard."

**XXXXX**

Connan listened for the tell-tale _clank _of the ramp closing to open up the floor panel and pull herself out. She looked around and held a hand down for Carth to get up as well.

They were met with the others of the crew, each one looking a little flushed.

"The droids went with Donella," Canderous informed before Bastila could take over.

"What was _that_?" Bastila asked as they came up to Connan. She looked a little pale. "We were doing just fine and just huge wave of Force crashed over us. Canderous and I nearly fell over."

"Juhani and I had a hard time keeping Missions from crying out." Jolee muttered, casting a mock-glare at a red-faced Mission.

"Yes, it came from me." Connan answered. "No, I don't know where it came from. I didn't mean to send out that much power. That's never happened before."

Jolee frowned, but said nothing. Bastila looked at her like she'd grown another head.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "You haven't done something like that in years."

"I'm fine." Connan clipped. "Can we send out some universal note? I am _fine_. Nothing is wrong with me."

Jolee laughed. "We know, lass. We're just looking out for you."

"Uh, guys?" Mission held a hand up in the air. "Shouldn't we be heading out?"

Connan took the escape that her friend gave her. Grabbing the Twi'lek by the wrist, she dragged her outside the ship and into Atris' hangar.

"Mission, get into that room over there and hack into the system. Blur all the cameras to make them see something else. The longer we have under the radar the closer we can get to Atris without much resistance." Connan ordered. Mission nodded and slinked over toward a side room.

"Everyone else, we wait for Mission's signal and storm through the hangar. Atris will probably be in the meeting room, so make your way there."

Minutes later the hangar doors opened, and Connan and the others flew through them, quickly overpowering the two Handmaidens right outside. Connan set their unconscious bodies on the ground and opened the door outside.

**XXXXX**

Getting to Atris was easy. There were only six Handmaidens guarding Atris, and one of them was Brianna, who Donella agreed to deal with while Connan dealt with Atris.

By the time Connan counted five downed Handmaidens, she burst through the last set of doors, her lightsabers drawn and almost touching the ground as she walked.

When the doors burst open, Atris jumped. Connan took a look at her and held back a snort. Living with the Sith holocrons as constant companions obviously hadn't been good for her. Her white-turning-grey hair was longer, and she looked a bit shrunken in, like she hadn't eaten or slept in a while. She probably didn't unless it was necessary. Her usually all-white robes were slightly wrinkled, and she looked slightly dreary.

Donella took one startled glance at the doors and made a quick jump over to Brianna, knocking her over and disabling her before she could make a move.

Atris took one loathing look at Donella before meeting Connan in the middle of the room.

"Ah, Revan. I was wondering when you were going to come running through the doors." The woman snarled. "Did you really want to die so soon?"

"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm going to die." Connan replied. "I just want to ask you some questions. The sooner you answer them and give me the things I need, the sooner we will leave."

"Hah!" Atris barked. "And what makes you think I will give you anything?" Before she could allow Connan to answer, she unsheathed her saber and attacked.

Connan dodged easily, and stuck her foot out to trip Atris. The historian Jedi hit the ground. Connan yanked Atris' lightsaber from her grip and clipped it to her own belt using the Force. She then placed a foot squarely on Artis' chest and pressed.

"Now that you've got your misguided attempts to get me out of here out of the way, why don't you just cooperate?"

"Why don't you get out before I decide to kill you?" Atris replied. Connan applied more pressure.

"I'm not going anywhere." Connan said darkly. "I'm sick of waiting. I've been through hell for about a month and a half now, and you've got the solution somewhere in here."

"I won't give you anything." Atris replied.

"Then we'll see how long it takes your chest to puncture under the pressure, and then I'll find it myself." Connan pressed harder. Atris winced.

"Stop it!" Brianna cried from Donella's grasp. "What is it you want?"

"Now that is a very good question." Connan smirked at Atris' seething look. "All I want is a simple holocron."

Atris stiffened. "I'm not giving you anything." She repeated. Connan stepped harder, and Atris let out a high-pitched noise. For good measure, Connan sent a small shock through Atris, large enough to cause her to gasp but small enough that Carth and the others couldn't catch her and reprimand her for it.

"You won't even hear what kind of holocron I want?" Connan _tsked_ a few times. "Let's see if you can guess. It obviously has something to do with the Sith, since I'm _here _looking for it."

"I won't—" Atris whimpered as Connan knelt down next to her, using her foot on Atris' chest to stay balanced.

"Yes, yes, I _know _you won't give me anything. That's what I'm trying to change." Connan replied. "Can you guess what I'm looking for? Can you even _talk _right now?"

Connan really wasn't sure if Atris could breathe or not. She was turning bluish-purple, and when she opened her mouth nothing came out.

"Too late. I'm looking for a holocron about something called a _Byssual_." She paused and grinned smugly at Atris' widened eyes. "So you _have _heard of it. I'll need something about it. Do you have anything?"

Atris glared.

"Connan." Connan ignored Carth's warning tone behind her.

"Answer the question." Connan ordered.

"She can't _breathe_!" Brianna yelled from behind Connan.

"She won't take another breath if she doesn't just answer my question."

"_Connan._" Carth tried again.

"Answer the question!"

"When I get free I'll kill you!" Brianna screamed from Donella's arms. Connan turned her head. Brianna was flailing around uselessly, trying to break free. Connan smirked.

"You'll kill me? Do I look like I feel threatened by that?" Connan laughed mirthlessly before turning back to Atris. "Look, it's a simple yes-or-no question. All you have to do is nod or shake your head." Connan negotiated.

Atris stared into Connan's eyes and glowered, practically shoving her hate onto Connan before nodding.

"Great." Connan stood up, taking her foot off of Atris. The woman took a large breath before sitting up and growling.

"I hate you." Atris seethed.

"Well, _that's _a feeling Jedi should feel." Connan replied. "So, now that we've established that you do, in fact, _have _a holocron that goes in depth about the _Byssual, _will you please give it to me so we can get out of this creepy place you and your minions prefer to call a home?"

"Don't you already have enough information about the _Byssual_?" Atris asked. "Donella sent a message to me asking where I could get information about it."

"And you gave her information, which I'm grateful for. But you gave them information from the Jedi side. And since the _Byssual _is, indeed, a Dark Sided entity, we need a Dark Sided holocron." Connan explained.

Atris glared as fiercely as possible, but breathed a sigh at the end. "And if I give you this holocron, you will leave?"

"As soon as you put it in my hands, and as soon as I can determine that it's the one I'm looking for." Connan resheathed her lightsabers and crossed her arms.

Atris rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Let Brianna go."

Connan met Donella's eyes, and after a moment of silent communication, Connan nodded and Donella's grip loosened. Brianna ripped out of Donella's grasp and was immediately standing in front of her mistress.

"Brianna, would you please find rooms for these people?" Atris asked. Connan raised a confused eyebrow like the rest of them.

"Rooms?" She asked.

"You do realize how many holocrons I've been _ordered_ to keep track of, don't you?" Atris sneered. "I have read them all; that is the only reason I recognized the word you used."

"So we're stuck here until you find it? How long do you think that will take?" Connan asked.

"A week, maybe two if I'm lucky." Atris stretched. "It will take me a full month to get through all of the holocrons."

"A _month?" _Connan gawked.

"Yes, so if you're to be staying here for a month, I must ask that you keep to yourselves. Do not disturb me or my Handmaidens unless they permit it. Since you know I will never allow you to talk to me willingly, you might as well just save your energy and leave me alone completely when we're through with this conversation."

"How do I know you'll actually work, then?"

"You may send one of your own minions in to assist, if you feel the need." Atris bowed her head once. "Now, you might want to confer this with your crews."

Connan turned to the horde of people standing near the wall. Carth and the crew of the _Ebon Hawk _stood on Connan's left, while Donella and her crew stood on Connan's right, but they looked back and forth at each other questioningly.

"Does anyone have any objections?" Connan asked.

"So long as I get to look around for things about that scepter we've been looking for, I don't care _where _we stay." Mira called out.

"I will allow you to look through the holocrons that I have been through already."

"Then it's settled." Jolee called out before anyone else could interrupt. "The lovely lass will have to make room for the _Ebon Hawk _in the hangar, because I'm sure Connan would not like to have her ship just hanging around doing nothing for a month."

"We will make room." Atris snapped. "Brianna, show our guests to their rooms. I will start looking for the information you want."

Atris turned and left.

**XXXXX**

"And these are the guest rooms." Brianna said. "Four to a room. No exceptions. Pick the ones you want."

"All right, get into pairs of four and pick rooms." Connan called. She took Carth's arm and set off to find Bastila and Mission when her other arm was grabbed.

Connan whirled around to find Brianna glowering at her savagely. "Yes?" She asked.

"If you _ever _grab my mistress like that again, I will rip your intestines out." She whispered. Connan smirked.

"Well, you have no worried for the time being." She replied before slipping her arm out of the grasp. She turned into a room and closed the door.

"Atris agreed to let us stay pretty quickly," Bastila observed.

"She knew I was going to keep beating her around until she agreed. It's more peaceful to just give in." Connan answered.

"I don't like how you dealt with that," Carth scolded. "You suffocated her."

"I prefer to call it _persuasion." _Connan shrugged, sitting down on a bed and looking around. The room really wasn't that big; just four beds, a refresher, a small kitchen and a small, round table. Connan could walk the perimeter in less than one hundred steps. "I wouldn't have killed her."

"Yes, yes, we know. 'You can't interrogate a dead body.'" Bastila drawled.

"So we're stuck here for a certain amount of time." Mission shrugged. A mischievous glint entered her eyes. "How will we amuse ourselves?"

Connan smirked. "We'll work on that tomorrow. Right now, I'm _starved._ Let's find something to eat."

**XXXXX**

**I'm sorry I took so long, guys. I'm glad I got this chapter out, though. It was driving me nuts. I hope I'll be able to get them out once a week again, since I'm in a semblance of school nowadays, with band staring up again.**

**I don't know how many out there know things about marching band, but I've done the impossible and made Drum Major! Yay! ((claps))**

**Anyway, please review, and I'll see you when I update again!**

_**PLEASE READ THIS! I changed the ending to RoTS. I didn't like how it ended and I added more to it. I'm much happier with this ending than the other one.**_

_**Amme Moto**_


	2. Horror Faced

"_**I know I am horror-faced,  
**__**And anger will not let me go.  
**__**But I will not hold back,  
**__**So long as I live."**_

—_**Electra**_

**Chapter Two: Horror-Faced**

Connan yawned; half because she was tired and half because it would annoy the hell out of Brianna. She yawned hugely, showing off her teeth and not even bothering to cover her mouth.

Mission grinned, stifling a giggle. Brianna pointedly ignored her and pressed on.

"And if you _ever _pull off another stunt like that, you can say goodbye to whatever it is you're looking for, because one word from me and Atris will cease her searches." Brianna finished.

"We didn't even do anything _that _bad," Connan ventured, rubbing the back of her neck. "In fact, I think we did you guys a favor. White can be so boring sometimes. Especially if you wear it all the time."

"So you turned our clothes _pink_?" Brianna challenged.

That was it. Connan and Mission burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Aww, come on!" Connan grinned. "It isn't _pink_, it's more of a cherry."

"No, no," Mission slapped her shoulder. "It's a light crimson."

"I would call it an off-pink."

"That is _enough_." Brianna growled.

"We were considering green, but Jolee didn't have any green socks we could sneak inside the wash." Mission explained. "He does, however, have many red socks."

Brianna cocked an eyebrow, obviously unamused.

"It seems the both of you have no maturity." The Handmaiden seethed. Connan stood up straight and saluted.

"I have maturity," She replied. "I just left it in my other set of robes."

Mission giggled. "And with her mask!"

Brianna looked horrified as Connan slumped back over, holding her sides in laughter.

"One more trick like this and you'll find yourselves out on a limb for help, and _I _won't help you!"

"Bri Bri," Brianna seethed at the name, but Connan ignored her and went on. "We don't need _your _help." She grabbed Mission's hand and tugged her off. "Come on, Mish. Let's go find one of the other Handmaidens to bother. Maybe they'll—"

Mission grasped onto Connan's arm as she turned green and froze. "Connan?" The Twi'lek asked. "Are you okay?"

Connan would have shaken her head if she didn't already feel nauseous enough. "Just a little sick."

"Again?" Mission rolled her eyes. "Connan, what did you _eat_?"

"Is she not feeling well?" Brianna asked, more out of concern for the floor than for Connan's wellbeing.

"Everyday since we've been here." Mission replied. The Twi'lek tugged Connan and started walking out of the room. "Come on. Let's see if Jolee has something that'll make you better."

"She's been sick for nearly two weeks already and she hasn't reported it?" Brianna followed behind them. "I'll never understand people who hide ailments from others."

"I'm fine," Connan insisted. "I will remain fine until after this fiasco is over."

Brianna hummed, obviously not believing her.

Connan sighed. The two weeks they'd been here had been a blast. She and Mission had caused as much trouble as they could. Once they stole the Handmaidens' cloaks and hung them from the ceiling in the main room. The air circulation billowed the cloaks about and made them seem like spirits (which, Connan was to find out later that same day, they believed in). Another time the Handmaidens were to spend the day fixing their machines, and Connan and Mission convinced T3 to reconfigure the force cages so they gave people walking past them a slight shock.

But whenever they weren't planning to bother the Handmaidens, or whenever they weren't carrying out said plans, Connan was throwing up.

She was becoming quite tired of it. She and Mission thought over everything she'd eaten since her return, and couldn't think of anything that might have been bad. Even Carth couldn't think of anything that would turn her stomach like that.

"It's probably just a bug." Connan shrugged.

"Well, we're going to make _certain _that it's a bug." Brianna replied from behind them. Connan shot her a look.

"Why do _you _care?"

"I don't want to beat up a sick person." Brianna glared.

Connan chuckled, leaning in to stage whisper in Mission's ear. "She just doesn't want the humiliation when I beat her while I'm sick."

"Oh, you could _not_!"

Mission knocked on Jolee's door, ignoring the two arguing women. She snickered to herself. If the two didn't hate each other so much, it would be like Connan and Bastila.

Jolee opened the door and looked at the three of them, one eyebrow raised.

"I deny any responsibility." He stated. "Whatever these two have done, I knew no part of it. I certainly never willingly gave them any of my socks."

The tips of Connan's mouth twitched into a smirk.

"No, that's not it, old man." She said. "But thanks for supporting us."

"Connan's sick." Mission said bluntly.

Jolee sighed. "I know."

Connan frowned. "You _know_? I haven't asked you for a pill since the first one!"

"I am not an idiot, lass. I am older than you are, and I've seen more things in my life." Jolee opened his door and stepped aside. "You're going to want to come in for this."

Connan traipsed inside the room and leapt up onto the table. A second later Mission was beside her. Jolee closed the door when Brianna came in long enough to lean against the wall beside the door.

"Why are _you _coming in here?" Connan snapped.

"Please," Brianna sneered. "If you're sick and don't do anything about it you'll be stuck here for _longer_. That's the _last _thing I want."

Connan shrugged. "Fair enough." She turned to Jolee, who sat himself on the bed and crossed his legs. "So, what's wrong with me, doc?"

Jolee sighed. "Now, I don't want you to freak out or anything, so take a deep breath and make sure you're completely prepared for this."

Connan straightened. "What? Do I have cancer or something?"

"No, no, no cancer. Nothing so serious, or I would have told you right away." Jolee waved her off.

"Oh, good." Connan cracked her knuckles. "So what is it?"

Jolee closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You're pregnant."

Connan blinked. Then she froze. Mission's arm was on hers in an instant, and she gripped tightly. Brianna just frowned.

"Pregnant like…."

Jolee rolled his eyes. "How do people say it these days? You have a bun in the oven, you're eating for two, you're knocked up, you're fertilized, you're—"

"Oh, that is _gross _coming from an old guy!" Mission gagged.

Connan had yet to speak. Mission waved a hand in front of her face. She cringed when Connan didn't move.

"I think you broke her."

"Look, I know it's hard to accept," Jolee spoke quietly. "But I know the signs. I knew the signs the first time you came to me looking sick. There's no denying it. You are pregnant."

And finally, Connan blinked.

"_What!?" _She shouted, leaping up off of the table. Mission covered her ears at the volume.

"Please don't speak so loud, unless you want the whole Academy to know." Jolee cringed. "I said it enough times for it to sink in, I'm sure."

"Are you _insane, _old man? How can this possibly be categorized as 'not so serious'?" Connan paced. "And how would _you _know?"

Jolee sighed. "Aside from the fact that I've had medical training and therefore have been around plenty of pregnant children, you forget the fact that I'm a _Jedi_, and can sense where there's more than one life inside a body."

"Oh yeah?" Connan was trying _really _hard not to destroy the room. "Then how come _I _haven't felt it?"

"Even _I _can answer that one," Brianna snapped. "You hardly pay attention to yourself. We had to practically drag you in here in the first place."

Connan whirled on her. "_You_ didn't tell me the news, _you _don't get to talk." Connan crossed her arms and continued to pace. "This doesn't make any sense, I can't be…."

"Connan, it _does _make sense," Mission said quietly. Connan looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Pregnancies were very common on Taris, and you _are _showing the same symptoms."

Connan uncrossed her arms to pull sharply at her hair.

"How long?"

Jolee sighed. "At least a month. I won't know exactly how long until you're checked up."

"And when can you check me up?"

"Tonight, I guess." Jolee rubbed his head. "When everyone else is asleep, so no one will walk in on us."

Connan was about to ask why no one could walk in on them when it hit her.

She was planning to almost single-handedly win a war, four thousand years in the future. _Pregnant._

If she thought Carth would let her complete such a task, she was an idiot.

Connan swore loudly, a very colorful word that made Mission giggle and Brianna gasp and cover her ears. She stomped up and down the room, picking up random objects subconsciously in her mind.

"This _can't _happen now." She said, more to herself than anyone else. The items began floating around her, in their own orbital spots. "I have things to do, _dangerous _things."

"Connan—" Mission said quietly. Connan ignored her.

"You're sure about this? There couldn't be another reason for this, could there? Of course there couldn't, _just _when I start getting my act together and I'm trying to save the galaxy again, something has to happen. Since I've already had my mind blown half to oblivion, why not get pregnant? That would be almost as traumatizing."

"Connan." Brianna didn't break Connan's concentration. The things around the stressed Jedi began spinning rapidly as she kept pacing and talking.

"And of _course _I can't _not _go back, since it never was my choice to go in the first place. It'll find me no matter what's going on at the moment and drag me back, if our last adventure was anything to go by."

"Hey, Connan—" Mission jumped off of the table, inching toward the near-panicked woman.

"Oh, _Force _when Carth find out he's not going to let me _near _a war."

"_Connan_." Jolee stressed.

Connan looked around at the items orbiting around her and nearly leapt out of her skin in shock. They plummeted to the floor.

"Whydid _that_ happen? I didn't call those things to me."

"But you're angry." Jolee explained. "Sit down. There are some things we need to talk about."

"I'd rather pace." Connan said, devoutly turning about the room. "Now tell me what's going on."

"Well, the first sign was that you were sick, when you're never sick. You're easily irritable, which could also be because you're upset about what happened a few months ago, but those who know you well enough know that you don't dwell on the past until it serves your purpose. After you came to me the first time, I've paid close attention to you, and when we were hiding out on Donella's ship and you nearly killed us all with the extra Force power, that was when I was convinced."

"Why was that?" Connan asked. "Why is my power going out of whack?"

"You've got another life inside of you, lass," Jolee explained, as if she should have figured it out on her own. "One that's bound to be Force Sensitive, knowing you. Since the child isn't using it, the Force gave the extra power to you until the child can carry it on its own."

"Stop saying that." Connan sat down on the bed opposite Jolee, crossing her legs and putting her head between her knees.

Jolee frowned. "Saying what?"

"_Child_." Connan shuddered. "I can't deal with the word right now."

Jolee gave her a sympathetic look. Mission sat down beside her and embraced her.

"What am I going to do?" Connan asked, leaning onto Mission for support. "I _have _to go to war. The _Byssual _will drag us back whether I _want _to go or not, and once I'm there I will _not _hide from the galaxy."

The three other people in the room remained silent. The only reason Connan knew they were there was because Mission tightened her hold on the Jedi.

Connan took a breath. "Carth is going to kill me. The—my—our—"

"The child, lass." Jolee helped. Connan glowered at him and continued.

"Yes. It's going to be born in the _future_. What kind of birthday would that be? 'Congratulations, kid, you're negative three-thousand nine-hundred ninety-nine years old today!' That will go over well."

Jolee scoffed. "Lass, you don't ever pay attention to anything, do you?" At Connan's bemused look her continued. "My injury held during our last stay to the future because I'd attained it _before _we went."

Mission blinked. "That's right! You told us about the datapad you had on the _Byssual_ that had the information on it!"

"And, if she would calm down enough to recall, she would also remember reading that particular section out loud." Jolee crossed his arms.

Connan blinked, and at Mission's inquiring glance she began to speak. "To avoid some sort of galactic paradox, the _Byssual _freezes all injuries, disabilities, or deformities while in the future, so they'll be the same when you return to the past seconds from when you disappeared." Suddenly a glint came to her eye. "Say, suppose, that a pregnant woman was dragged into the future and stayed for a very long time."

Jolee nodded, continuing on the thought. "When she returned she would end up seconds after she left in the first place, and with a child no less. To avoid something like this from happening the _Byssual _freezes anything and everything about the person, and when they return to their original time everything returns back to normal."

Mission fought a grin. "How considerate."

Connan stood, stretching. "Well, now we just have to worry about _when _the _Byssual _returns. I can't very well go around fighting when I'm seven months along and can't hide it very well."

Jolee chuckled. "You'll just have to hope that it either comes nine months or so from now or fairly quickly."

Brianna, who hadn't spoken a word before now, raised her hand and scoffed. "You can't be serious. You're _still _going to fight?"

Connan nodded. "I am."

"You're going to put an innocent life in danger to satisfy your bloodlust?"

The wording made her stop. Yes, she was partly doing it for her own reprisal. She knew she was. But that certainly wasn't the only reason.

"Yes." She replied. "But it's more than that. I'm going to put one innocent life in danger to save billions of other innocent lives." Connan shrugged. "Besides, who's to say anything will happen? If _I _can't hold an injury in the future, nothing should happen to—the kid, right?"

"You don't know that." Brianna argued.

"I know." Connan answered. "But I'd rather take the chance. I told the people there that when I came back, it would be to incite rebellion and to turn the galaxy against the Sith. And I'll make good on that promise until I can't anymore."

Brianna crossed her arms. "I don't understand you."

Again Connan shrugged, more indifferent this time. "It's not surprising. A lot of people don't."

Brianna sighed.

"Come on, Mission," Connan grabbed her Twi'lek friend's hand and dragged her out. "Let's go; I've got a lot to think about. Thanks, Jolee, for at least telling me."

"You're very welcome, lass. I'll see you tonight." Jolee waved as Connan and Mission left.

**XXXXX**

On the outside Connan left looking slightly frazzled, but it was nothing compared to what she felt on the inside.

She was _pregnant. _She should be ecstatic. She _was _ecstatic, if she looked deep enough inside herself. But the elation was covered by a deep layer of anxiety and despair.

She was about to go into a full-blown war, and she was pregnant. Those aren't the best of combinations; even Connan realized that.

But it was what she was stuck with. She was determined to go to war, and she wasn't going to do anything to get rid of the baby.

Which seemed like a contradiction in itself.

Mission must have seen the look on Connan's face, because she stopped walking and turned to face her. "Is there anything I can get you? Are you hungry?"

In truth, she was hungry. Learning devastating news always gave her an appetite, but she didn't want to be left alone at the moment. Connan blinked at her for a moment before answering. "I don't want you to leave me. If I'm by myself I'm liable to blow something up, and I need to think about this. Let's just go back to the room so I can think it."

Mission nodded and walked the rest of the way to their room in silence.

When Connan opened the door she walked in and flopped down onto her bed. She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

"So what are you going to do?" Mission asked as she sat on her own bed.

"What is there to do?" Connan shrugged, finally allowing a bit of the panic she was feeling to make it through her voice. "I know it sounds cruel, but I've already made plans that have to be completed."

Mission's expression hardened. "So you're going."

"I'd go whether or not I decided to. Palpatine—Sidious—is still alive, and as long as he's alive he'll keep dragging us back. The most I can do is become conscious of how hurt I'm getting, and try to stop most of it."

Mission rubbed her chin and frowned. Connan gave her time. She knew a lot of people would be against her putting herself in such danger while pregnant. She would have to be prepared with her side of things.

"Very well." Mission finally answered. Her eyes took on a determined look that made Connan wonder what she was thinking. "What are you going to tell Carth?"

Connan shivered. "I hate lying to him, you know. I really do." She seethed. "But if he knows he'll have a heart attack, especially since I plan on going ahead with the war."

"That wasn't a straight answer." Mission reminded.

Damn her perception skills. Connan mock-scowled at the girl, who smirked.

"I'm not sure if I'm going to tell him or not."

"Tell who what?" Carth and Bastila walked inside the room, making Mission jump.

"Tell Jolee where his missing sock is." Connan blurted. Carth rolled his eyes.

"Why would you know where his sock went?" He asked, moving over to Connan's bed and sitting beside her. He laid a hand on her stomach, not noticing Mission and Connan's widened eyes at the ironic gesture.

"We threw it in with the Handmaiden's wash." Mission supplied.

Bastila snorted. "I bet Brianna had a fun time with that."

"She's been bugging us for hours about it." Connan groaned, stretching.

"So are you feeling better?" Carth asked, running his fingers through her hair. She hadn't pulled it up in a while, so he was free to feel through all of it and twirl the end around his finger aimlessly.

Connan puffed up. For a moment she wished he would stop _worrying _about her. Did he think she was _that _incompetent? Could she not get help when she was sick? She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

"Connan." Mission snipped. She grimaced. She repeated the same question slower: "Are you feeling better?"

It was then that Connan was completely convinced that she was pregnant. She never used to get testy with Carth for inquiring about her health. He actually did it all the time. She found it endearing more often than annoying, and she had never snapped at him for asking.

The "raging hormones" would begin to kick into action by the first month or two of pregnancy, right? Great. She'd been mean to everyone for months without meaning to be.

"Hon?" Carth waved a hand in front of her face.

"I'm fine, Carth. Really." She replied, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it. "I'm just really hungry."

She heard Mission mutter something about "I already asked you that question", but chose to ignore it for Carth. He kissed the top of her head and stood.

"I'll go get you something to eat. Anything in particular?" He asked.

_Chocolate._

Connan blinked. She didn't even _like _chocolate that much. There was no way she could want it.

"No, just whatever they have, or whatever you want." She waved him off. He nodded.

"Carth," Bastila piped up. "Would you bring me something sweet? Did we not see that chocolate mousse in there yesterday evening?"

_Oh, Force, _Connan thought. _Chocolate mousse sounds great._

Carth nodded. "Yeah, we did. You want a piece?"

"Please. My sweet tooth is acting up." Bastila bowed regally to show her thanks. Carth chuckled at her and closed the door behind him.

"Wow, Bastila." Mission commented as the other Jedi came to sit next to Mission. "I didn't even know you _had _a sweet tooth."

"I don't." The woman replied. "But Connan apparently does." She turned to Connan and raised an eyebrow. "Want to tell me why you want to eat something you normally don't touch?"

Connan's eyes widened. Bastila had heard her mind. "You eavesdropper!"

"It wasn't eavesdropping." Bastila maintained. "You practically shouted it at me, and from the look on your face soon after, I think you shocked yourself with thinking it."

"Maybe I just wanted chocolate." Connan shrugged. Bastila laughed.

"I doubt it."

Connan groaned and stared at the ceiling again.

"Connan, what is going on?" Bastila asked, concern finally peeking through. "You're not sick, are you?"

Connan sat up and looked at Bastila in the eye.

"No, I'm not sick." She answered. Bastila nodded, accepting it as truth.

"So what is wrong?" She continued.

Connan sighed, keeping eye contact.

"Nothing," She lied.

**XXXXX**

Carth made his way to the cafeteria, puzzled.

For the last couple of months Connan had been testy to everyone, especially Carth. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. He realized that she was sick, and didn't enjoy being so, but she didn't have to take it out on everyone else in the crew.

And then today she was perfectly fine with him. He could see her wanting to snap up again when he asked her how she was feeling, but after a look to Mission—who repeated the question—she answered him calmly. It nearly threw him for a loop.

And even before that, he'd seen her tense up at her touched her when he sat down beside her. All he did was lay his hand on her stomach, like he did all the time. What was wrong with that? It wasn't like it was going to lead to anything. He was about to sweep a sick woman off of her feet; knowing his luck she'd be sick all over him.

But he had to admit, she looked beautiful these days. Not that she wasn't always beautiful, but she just seemed to have something extra about her since they got back from the future. Most days all he wanted to do was hold her and make her as comfortable as possible, even though making her sit still for a whole day would drive her insane.

He shook his head. She probably needed to stay in bed anyway, if she was sick. And since she wasn't as snappish to him today, either they figured out what it was or she was getting better.

_Oh, well, _he though, standing inside the kitchen and waving toward Brianna, who nodded curtly at him and wandered out of the cafeteria, _I'll ask her later._

**XXXXX**

**It's an end-of-summer special! School officially starts again tomorrow, even though I've been there enough over the summer to say that school never ended. I'm a Junior this year! Two more years and high school will finally be over. Then I'll be headed off to ETBU and that'll be the best time of my life.**

**Not really much else to say in this chapter. Have a good day, and have a great school year!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	3. Foiled and Cheated

"_**Your every word has been to bring you out,  
**__**But when you're here, you hurry in again.  
**__**You find no constant pleasure anywhere  
**__**For when your joy is upon you, suddenly  
**__**You're foiled and cheated."**_

—_**Hippolytus**_

**Chapter Three: Foiled and Cheated**

"Well, here it is." Connan waved an arm in front of the compartment door, letting Mission survey the interior. "I haven't had a chance to go through it all, of course, but it's what Kreia was able to give me and what I was able to find through her rather cryptic hints."

Mission stared, her mouth hanging open in surprise at the stuffed partition. "Connan, there's got to be _years _of your past in there. Why haven't you gone through it yet?"

Connan shrugged, waving her hand and watching the objects file out of the cabinet and onto the ground. "Well, Donella and I were still busy in the Unknown Regions during the months I had it, and when I returned with the information of Ragnos' scepter and most of you guys rejoined my crew, we had other things crossing our minds, like how to get into the crumbled cave, and how to avoid being dragged four thousand years into the future."

Mission nodded. "You just can't catch a break, can you?"

Connan laughed, sitting cross-legged in the cargo hold of the _Ebon Hawk_ and rummaging through the pile. "It seems I won't be able to have one for a while."

Mission cringed at the semi-bitter remark and sat down beside her friend. She pulled out a small trinket; a worn-out pair of black gloves. They were simple, made just of cloth, and the fingers were cut off after the first knuckle mark. They were crusted, giving the impression they hadn't been washed since their last use. Mission crinkled her nose, and held the items between her index finger and thumb before handing it to Connan.

"Eww, what is this?"

Connan took the pair of gloves and stared at them. Her eyes lit up and she laughed.

"I remember these!" She cried out. "These were my first training gloves. Kreia made me wear them so the sweat on my palms wouldn't mess with my control of my weapon."

"Did you not take very good care of them? They're all crusty and gross." Mission poked at the item circumspectly. Connan's grin grew wider.

"I remember seeing them last attaching themselves to Malak's face." She explained. As Mission burst into hysterical laughter she continued. "We weren't always _best buddies_, you know. There were times when we drove each other nuts. We resorted to fists many times."

Mission fell backward, holding her sides. "Oh! Just _imagining _that happening is hilarious."

"Imagining what?" Carth strode into the room, making Connan tense up. He sat next to her on the ground, his hands finding their ways to her shoulders subconsciously and rubbing, as if he knew she needed to relax.

"Me hitting Malak." Connan held up the items which sparked the memories for Carth to inspect.

Carth raised an eyebrow, refusing to give his input on how satisfied he would be to actually see Connan double up her fist and hit the bastard. Just _thinking _about old Metal Mouth made Carth hold Connan tighter in a fit of protectiveness. "Going through your old things, I see."

He rummaged around for a bit and held up another article; a small purple shell. He ran his finger around the edge of the artifact and grimaced. The edge of the shell was a sharp as any knife.

He shook his head ruefully. "And I suppose you remember something about this." He held the trinket up with one finger and handed it to Connan, careful not to let her touch the sharp end.

Connan frowned at it for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I found this shell on the shores of Tibrin during our stay at one of the coral cities. The shell was a sickly green color back then. I remember getting it painted on Zeltros when Kreia took me as a reward for bringing down Thilis Trobe, an Ishi Tib with a stick caught in his beak about the rest of the galaxy. He nearly took over the whole planet before Kreia and I stepped in."

"Why is it so sharp?" Mission asked, passing her finger along the edge and hissing as she cut herself slightly.

"Well that was how we defeated Trobe. I bet Kreia that if something was sharp enough, it could easily slice through Ishi Tib skin, even if it's been moisturized within the last thirty hours."

"And she chose to use your shell." Mission finished. Connan nodded.

"Is there anything in here that _isn't _involved with violence?" Carth asked.

"Doubt it. But you never know. Let's see." Connan sifted through the pile and brought out a small green container. "What's this?" She asked herself as she inspected it. She turned it around in her hand once. Then she burst into hysterical laughter.

"What?" Mission asked, clearly curious. She took the small bottle from Connan and inspected it. She opened the cap and smelled. "It just smells like shampoo."

"Don't use it." Connan warned between laughs. Carth cocked an eyebrow, gather Connan up into his arms and leaning her against his chest. "You'll be sorry."

"What's in it?" Carth asked when Connan's laughs subsided into small giggles.

"I added a few things to that when I was little." Connan explained. "Back when Kreia saw fit to teach me how to heal myself; she figured I might as well be well-versed in chemistry, since there would be times when no one could heal me and I'd have to do it myself."

"What did you add?" Mission asked.

"Never mind that. What was it supposed to do?" Carth corrected.

Connan giggled. "It was supposed to make whoever used it lose all their hair. And never have it grow back."

"Malak?" Mission guessed. Connan shook her head.

"No, he was born that way."

"Then who?" Mission frowned, glancing at Carth.

Connan grinned. "The person who used it figured out that something was wrong with it and didn't use it on all of his hair."

Carth sighed into Connan's hair. "It was Vrook, wasn't it?"

Connan kept grinning.

"You were a hell-child!" Mission admonished. "Even _I _didn't get into so much trouble!"

"I don't even know why it's in here; I thought he threw it away." Connan shrugged. "Maybe Kree got a hold of it somehow and kept it for a moment like this. She _was _a historian, after all."

Connan chunked the item behind her aimlessly and scrounged to the middle of the pile. She tensed, and Carth rubbed a hand down her arm.

"What did you find?"

Connan pulled her hand out slowly. She'd held onto a bulky piece of folded fabric. Carth took it from her. It felt silky.

"My cloak."

Carth instantly tensed.

"What?" Mission didn't seem to be as affected. She skimmed her hand across the top. "Fabric like this should have torn easily."

Connan shook her head. "It's inside out." She stood, taking the fabric from Carth and shaking it out.

The clasp was elegant in itself. There were two golden vines, hooking up and down respectively, and winding around each other when fastened together.

"I never saw that before," Carth pointed to the popper in question. Connan pulled at the back of the cloak, showing off a hood.

"It was covered by this most of the time." Connan grinned. "I bet the robes and the mask are down there, too." She knelt back down and dug into the pile.

Seconds later her hands came out full of more cloth. "This is it!" She cried. "I remember making this myself." She shook it out.

Yes, it certainly looked like Revan's old robes. The black, tough material made Carth cringe. Connan whirled around, watching the outfit swirl after her, not noticing Carth's uneasy glance.

The mask fell from the middle of the robes.

Connan knelt down and picked it up. She stared at it, studying it. "I remember this, too." She ran her finger down the horizontal hole at the top where she could see through.

"It must have been hard to fight with that on," Mission exclaimed.

Connan shrugged. "I only put it on at first when I was trying to intimidate, but it became a constant necessity toward the end when everyone had fallen but me. It might have been a bit hard to see out of, but it gave me time to perfect my Force Sight." She traced around the red stains falling from the eyes.

"Is that actually blood?" Carth grimaced.

Connan chuckled darkly. "Some of it. During one of our fights in the Unknown Regions, I got cut across my eyes with another blade." She stopped at Carth's horrified look and scrunched her nose. "It wasn't horrible; I healed it in two days.

"Anyway, to keep the others from seeing the injury and panicking, I crafted a mask out of ship scraps; that was the only reason I first wore the mask. The blood seeped through the slit, I guess, and when Malak saw, he instantly thought it symbolic to our cause. After I washed the blood off, I just painted it back on."

"And you wore this?" Mission asked.

Connan nodded. "All the time. It's unbelievably comfortable, though I like wearing it with the hood down and mask off more than anything." She hummed. "I bet it still fits."

"Go try it on." Mission urged.

Connan glanced at Carth, as if asking for permission. The man shrugged. "I'm just as curious as she is. Go ahead and try it."

Connan squealed and bolted.

There was an awkward silence for a moment as Mission leaned back onto the wall and Carth glanced around the room.

"So," He began, scratching the back of his head. "Connan's been doing better these days. Two weeks ago she couldn't go far without getting sick, and now it hardly ever comes up."

"Yeah," Mission chuckled. "It took her a few days, but she's got a grip on things now."

Mission bit her tongue to keep from continuing. Even though it'd been another two weeks since she'd found out about her condition, it had taken her a while to get used to the feeling. They'd had to stop their pranks, because the blackmailing Brianna decided that if they pushed too many buttons, Carth would somehow _discover _their secret.

"What do you think she had?" Carth's voice made Mission jump out of her reverie.

Mission coughed. "Nothing too serious for the moment."

Carth frowned. "For the moment? Does she still have it?"

"That would depend." Mission shifted nervously.

"On what?"

"On what you think _it _is." She answered.

Carth's eyes narrowed. "But—"

Connan strode into the room, decked out in full Revan uniform. Carth tensed, fighting down the urge to reach for a blaster. He watched Connan's happy face as she whirled around, watching her cloak billow behind her.

"It still fits!" She stated. "I don't believe it!" She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and looked around. "See, now don't I look a lot better without that horrible mask on?"

It was true, Carth had to admit. Though Connan had put on the cloak, she hadn't pulled the hood up or fastened on the mask. And with the hair swishing behind her daintily, she didn't look anything like Darth Revan, Sith Lord who nearly destroyed the Republic. She looked like a fierce, determined Jedi.

And positively striking.

"Connan, you look _awesome_!" Mission was up in a moment and hugged the Jedi.

"I put the mask in my bag," Connan commented. "Just in case, you know."

"I'd hate to see you put it on." Carth stood and strode to Connan quickly, twirling a loose piece of hair through his fingers. "You look lovely without it."

Connan turned red.

"I think you should keep the robes on." Mission stated. "If only to bug Brianna."

Connan chuckled. "It's about the only thing we can do nowadays, right?"

Carth frowned again, and Connan cleared her throat. "I'll wear it today, since I don't plan on going anywhere outside the ship, but if I get caught with it in front of Atris—or worse, Brianna—they might attack me."

Mission shrugged, changing the subject. "So what else do you have in here?"

**XXXXX**

Several hours later, and the three people had managed to sort out the items into specific piles. They had piles for things Connan wanted to keep, things she wanted to sell, and things she wanted to keep, but where Bastila couldn't find them.

They were busy stuffing Connan's items-to-hide inside the compartment again when the door burst open and Jolee came through.

"Connan, you'd better—" He stopped and frowned. "Where did you find _that_?"

"Secret compartment." Connan shoved another item—a menacing looking, small green box that jingled when moved—into the partition and reached for another.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you can wear that thing and not look lethal." Connan cocked an eyebrow at him, so he amended, "malevolent-lethal, I mean."

"What did you need?" Connan asked.

"It's not what _I _need." Jolee insisted. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Sure, it's—" Connan glanced at the clock and gaped. "Have we really been in here that long?"

"It's only three. What's wrong?" Carth asked.

Mission dropped whatever she was hiding and whirled around. "It's _three_? Oh, Connan, I'm sorry! I wasn't keeping track. You need to eat something. Let's go to the mess hall."

"No need," Jolee said. "I brought food enough." Behind him floated in enough food to feed four or five people.

"But what if I'm not hungry?" Connan asked, ignoring the fact that her stomach was growling and her mouth watering at the sight of all the food.

"Then you'll eat anyway." Jolee stated, setting himself on the ground and waiting for the others to follow. "You wouldn't want to get sick and put you and others in danger, would you?"

Connan snatched the first piece of food that she could reach and stuffed it into her mouth.

"I also brought you water." Jolee chunked a large bottle at Connan, who used the Force to stop it and set it beside her. He glanced at Carth and pointed to the eating Jedi. "Make sure she drinks that."

"If it keeps her from getting sick again, anything." Carth insisted.

"So how is Atris doing?"

"She's still working." Jolee admitted. "She's still got another column or two of holocrons to run through; if we're horribly unlucky and the holocrons she looks at _last _is the one we need, it'll take another week for her to get to it."

Connan groaned, her good mood effectively ruined. "I can't _stand _sitting still like this for so long."

"I know. But look on the bright side: she's going to find it sooner or later. And really, we don't _actually _need it until after you come back, since you're determined to return to the future and start a rebellion."

"That's not the point." Connan grumbled, shoving something else into her mouth. "The point is I'm tired of waiting to get what I want. Worse, I'm tired of relying on someone I really could live without to get what I want."

"Sometimes things don't go the way we plan, Connan." Carth stated.

Connan scoffed. She tore at a gizka leg and chewed thoughtfully. "When has _anything _I've planned gone the way I need it to?"

Carth winced from the bitter tone. It was true, he figured. Connan was constantly being cheated, her plans getting foiled. Her first try to save the Republic ended up crashing and burning, and even her second attempt also hit rock bottom a few times toward the end. When she and Kreia went off to find Donella so they could destroy whatever was in the Unknown Regions, Kreia ended up turning on both Donella _and _Connan and nearly destroying the Force before they could kill her. Finally when they went in search of that scepter from Marka Ragnos, she ends up getting dragged into a galactic war four thousand years in the future, and hunted by a Dark Side entity.

It just didn't seem right.

Absentmindedly, Carth wrapped an arm around Connan's waist and tugged. He hadn't noticed the uncomfortable silence reigning over the three other people in the room.

He opened his mouth to say something when the door opened again and Bastila walked through.

"Are we going to invite everyone inside the cargo hold?" Connan asked.

"No, we're inviting everyone into the Academy." Bastila retorted, taking a moment to glance at Connan's wardrobe and determined to ignore it.

"And why is that?"

Bastila smirked. "Atris found it."

Connan was up in moments.

**XXXXX**

They hurried to the main chamber, where they found everyone else standing around, tapping their feet. Atris and Brianna stood closest to the meditation chambers, holding the holocrons. In Atris' hand was a single holocron, dusty from disuse.

"All right, I'm here." Connan called. She strode up to Atris, sliding around everyone else. "What have you found?"

Atris sneered, holding out the holocron-turned-datapad. Connan snatched it away, flicking through the contents.

"It's what you're looking for, hopefully." Atris commented. "I found it about half an hour ago.

"What are you _wearing_?"

Connan threw a sneer of her own at Atris. "Surely you're not so old that you'd forget my signature robes?"

Brianna tensed and Atris paled. "Why are you wearing them in my Academy?"

"Technically, I was wearing them on my ship, but I was called away rather quickly and didn't have time to change." Connan flipped to a section of the document and skimmed it. The language was an old Sith dialogue, so it took Connan a few moments to break it down and rebuild it into Galactic Basic. There were a lot of words that could be used loosely, or words that could have meant different things. The word _Derriphan—_Devourer—was used many times, making Connan think that that was another name for the _Byssual_.

"**There has been much controversy about whether or not the **_**Byssual**_** is a totally new species, or if it is simply a mutation of the **_**Derriphan**_**. They are both Dark Sided creatures, and they are both of the same basic shape, but there are key differences to the two make suggests a different group altogether."**

Connan frowned. _What's a Derriphan?_ She switched to another part and scanned.

"**It is said that this creature can be summoned by one of two things, depending on which side of time you're on. If one is at a point in time not their own, it is said that death will bring them back home." **Connan snorted. She didn't need a datapad to tell her how to return. **"If—for some reason or another—one would want to jump times on their own—which is discouraged; messing with time is extremely dangerous, no matter which direction you're jumping in—they would have to call the **_**Byssual **_**to them."**

Connan hummed. Maybe she would have to read over that particular section, if the _Byssual _didn't come for them soon.

"**In theory, there are ways to control the **_**Byssual**_**. If one is powerful enough to call the entity to oneself, one can also be powerful enough to tell it to bring others to them. Think of it as some sort of kidnapping. Instead of changing locations, one would be changing times until one can either die or has the ability to call the **_**Byssual **_**back."**

Connan growled. "Is it _all _theory?" She asked.

"Yes." At Connan's death glare Atris continued. "How many people do _you _know who have been constantly dragged back and forth through time? Not everyone has a nonstop adventure for a life."

Connan seethed. So she'd waited a month for a datapad full of speculation. "All right. Thanks, I guess."

"Your thanks would feel more like gratitude if you were to leave within the next hour or so." Atris spat.

"Oh, don't worry. We're out of here."

Connan whirled around, her cloak whishing around behind her menacingly. "Everyone go get your things. We'll be out of here as soon as we can."

**XXXXX**

Connan was already calling things to her when she entered their quarters. Bastila had been prepared for this moment for about a week or so, so she just called her bag to her and left for the ship.

Carth came in after Connan, placing his small amount of items into his own bag. Connan was already finished. She closed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, clasping the second _Byssual _datapad in her hand. If she closed her fist any tighter she could have broken it.

"Are you angry?" Carth asked, walking over to her and studying her.

"I'm not _angry_, really," Connan shrugged. "I'm frustrated. We waited all this time and all we have about this stupid _thing _that keeps dragging us everywhere is theory and hearsay. We have no concrete information aside from the fact that we die to get home."

Carth flinched. "True, but at least there's _something_. Atris could have come up with _nothing_, and then where would we be?"

Connan smirked. "I guess that's true."

"Of course it is." Carth crooked his finger and pulled on Connan's chin so she would stare up into his eyes. "Now, where should we go?"

"I say we go to the TSL Station." Connan admitted. "I don't want to be on the ship too long. Force knows what would happen if the _Byssual _somehow found a way to suck the whole ship into it and _everyone _went back."

Carth chuckled. "Just your luck, right?"

Connan nodded.

"Well," Carth hung his bag over his shoulder and reached for the door. "I'm ready. Let's head out. Mission should be in here soon to gather the last of her things."

"All right." Connan headed to the door with him. "I'll need time to read over this thing anyway." She held up the datapad. "To make sure we don't do something stupid next time."

They heard it as Carth opened the door. That sound Connan could identify for the rest of her life. The telltale purring sound of the _Byssual_.

They didn't turn around to verify. It was behind Connan, inside the room. Carth whipped open the door and grabbed a hold of Connan's wrist, dragging her outside.

Connan flew through the doorway, vaguely wondering why they were running from the one thing they needed to return to the future. She knew she had to let it have her, especially since it had come for her before, but there was nothing that could suppress the dread of having to go through with it.

Connan and Carth bolted down the hallway, nearing the corner. Connan prepared to jerk Carth toward the left, so they could run away from the hangar, where the majority of people would be.

As they turned the corner they smashed straight into Mission.

All three of them hit the ground. The datapad flew out of Connan's hand and skidded across the ground to the other side of the hall. Connan swore colorfully.

_Damn it, _she thought. _I've had that information in my hands for—what?—all of ten minutes and I've already lost it! Damn it!_

Mission groaned as the two grown adults landed on top of her.

"Hey, guys! That hurt!" She wheezed. "What are you—"

A deep shiver ran down Mission's spine as the blackness engulfed her, and the three of them disappeared.

No one heard the voices calling out to them.

**XXXXX**

Bastila just made it to the ship when she felt Connan's compulsory dread. She knew what it meant. She dropped her bag next to the ramp and raced back outside the hangar, Jolee not far behind her.

"What—"

"I know that look, lass." Jolee explained. "And there are only so many things that could be wrong with Connan at this point in time."

Bastila shrugged and sped up.

They stopped in front of Bastila's room that she shared with Mission, Carth, and Connan. The door was left wide open, and Mission's things still littered her side of the room. The girl still hadn't come to get her things.

"Bastila." Jolee called from around the corner. Bastila ran to meet up with him.

There were Connan, Carth, and Mission, cluttered on the ground, the infamous Dark entity racing toward them. Bastila cried out, and a moment later they were gone.

Bastila blinked and looked down the hallway, where the datapad of brand-new _Byssual _information rested on the ground.

Well, _crap._

**XXXXX**

**Hi, guys! How have you been? I don't really have much to say this time around. The hurricanes have been getting to us; my best friend had to come home from Lamar University because the electricity will be out for weeks, so it's a bittersweet occurrence.**

**Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you. You know the items they talk about before (and after) they get to Revan's Robes? They were all things I have on my computer desk. Lawl. That's some imagination, huh?**

**I'll be back next week!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	4. Wonder Filled Eyes

"_**Thence I came  
**__**In fleet pursuit of never-wearied foot,  
**__**With wingless beat of this deep-bosomed aegis—  
**__**To such a car of lusty steeds were yoked.  
**__**And now, regarding this strange company,  
**__**I have no fear, yet wonder fills my eyes.  
**__**Who can you be? To all I speak in common,  
**__**Both to this stranger seated at my image,  
**__**And you, resembling no begotten seed,  
**__**Neither like goddesses beheld in heaven  
**__**Nor fashioned in the figure of mankind."**_

—_**Eumenides**_

**Chapter Four: Wonder-Filled Eyes**

It took Connan only one moment to wake up, but it took a few minutes for her to figure out what was going on.

She kept her eyes closed until she could sort through her thoughts. The last thing she remembered packing to leave the Academy. She and Carth had been discussing what their next step was. Everything after was hazy. She felt sore, reminding her that she had crashed into someone, but she couldn't for the life of her remember who or why.

Then she started thinking about the heat. It was strange; she had to admit, because the Academy was always cold. They did live on the Polar Region; it was never warm there.

She must be somewhere else.

That was when she opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a large room. The walls were made of stone, not metal, and sunlight was shining through a window-like hole by her head.

Her head spun as she remembered what happened. She clasped the side of her head and groaned.

They were _back_.

The immense joy she felt at returning was just as powerful as the wave of anxiety crashing over her. She grinned and shuddered at the same time, sitting up and taking in the room in full.

She looked at herself first, to make sure she was unharmed. She was still in her Revan Robes, and as she felt with her mind around the room for her shoulder bag (next to her larger bag, holding her clothes and the belonging she had been transporting from her room to the ship at the time) she could feel the mask lying next to her sabers and her mines.

She could also feel two others in the room with her.

Whoever had found them had laid Carth on a cot next to her. He looked horrible, with his hair sticking every which way and his clothes wrinkled from sleep. He was sleeping fitfully, reaching his hand out every now and again like he expected someone to be there next to him. Connan grinned.

There was another cot on the other side of Carth's, and Connan frowned for a moment before she realized that it would be Mission. She remembered crashing into the Twi'lek now, and the _Byssual _must have dragged all three of them into the future. Mission was now deep asleep, with one arm hanging off of her cot and drool dribbling down her mouth. Her black vest was positively soaked.

Connan stood shakily, staggering in between the two of them and shaking their shoulders.

"Carth? Mission? Wake up, guys." She prodded.

Mission groaned and shook her head. "Five more minutes!"

"You're not going to want to wait five more minutes." Connan said in a sing-song voice.

Carth grabbed at Connan's hand and pulled himself up. He looked around and sighed.

"Do you think it was being polite that it waited long enough for us to get the information before it took us?" He asked.

"I think it was trying to torture us. We had the information and now we can't use it." Connan replied acidly. Carth frowned. "I dropped it when we smashed into Mission."

"What? What was being polite?" Mission sat up as well, rubbing her eyes and looking around. "Where _are _we? This _doesn't _look like Telos."

"_Where _is the wrong question, Mish." Connan answered.

Mission's eyebrows knitted together. "What? You mean that—" She grinned and her eyes lit up. "No _way_! We're actually in the future? How awesome is that? So when are we?"

Connan let go of Carth's hand, wobbling away from them and toward the window. She peered out. "There's nothing but sand out there. My guess is that we're on Tatooine. As for the when—"

Connan stopped, whirling around to the doorway, where a woman stood with a large pitcher in the hands. She looked old; there were wrinkles under her eyes and she just had that withered look. Her short, sandy hair bounced around as a slightly cool breeze wafted through one of the windows. She looked at Connan with a grimace on her face.

"Hello." The woman said.

Connan frowned. She sounded familiar.

"Hi," Connan replied uneasily. "Beru?"

The woman smiled. "I was hoping you would remember."

Connan opened and shut her mouth again and again, looking more like a fish than anything. Carth finally put a hand over hers and spoke for her.

"You look….different."

Beru nodded. "And you look the same."

"How long have we been here?" Mission asked. Beru studied her.

"We brought you here three days ago. You nearly fell into our moisture farm."

"Thanks for that, I guess." Connan grinned.

Beru set the pitcher down. "I was going to come in here to make sure none of you were getting overheated in your sleep, but since you're all up there's no point. Would you like something to eat?"

Connan's stomach growled.

**XXXXX**

The table they sat as was very small, but they managed to fit everyone into it. Connan sat in between Mission and Carth, and Beru sat on the other side of the table.

"Owen is out watering the crops right now," Beru informed. "He should be done in a minute."

"Good." Connan nodded, fixing the strap on her shoulder bag so it would sit better. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions."

Beru shrugged. "Only if I get to ask them in return."

"Fair enough." Connan grinned. "You first."

Beru nodded her thanks. "Who is your friend?"

Connan looked surprised. "Oh! Did we not introduce her? I'm sorry! This is Mission Vao, one of my very best friends."

Beru frowned. "You can't be a day over twenty."

"I'm nineteen, actually." Mission replied, looking smug.

"Has there been any talk of a rebellion?" Connan asked.

Beru paled. She averted her eyes and spoke quietly. "Yes, there has. Many of the young men and women have run off to join it. We try to talk them all out of it. There have been rebellions popping up since the Empire started, and all of them have been crushed." She looked toward the doorway. "Not a _word _of this to Owen."

Connan snickered, nodding. "Your turn."

Beru thought for a moment. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-four."

"How long have you been thirty-four?"

Connan laughed. Good question. "Almost two years. How long has it been since we've seen each other last?"

"About—"

A clatter from behind startled them all. Owen Lars, scruffy-looking, old and weary, strode in. He took a good look at the three time-travelers and scowled.

"So they're awake."

"Yes, we are." Carth replied.

"Mission, this is Owen Lars. Owen, this is Mission Vao." Connan pointed to each respectively. The two nodded stiffly.

Owen sighed, coming to sit at the table next to Beru. "I'll need to be frank with you, Master Jedi. I need the three of you to leave as soon as possible."

Connan reared back, surprised. "Okay, but why?"

"Mainly because you're a Jedi, and we don't want any fights to break out near our home."

"That's it? That's the only reason? You're scared I'm going to bring the fight to your house?"

"I want to keep the fight away from Luke." Owen seethed.

It took Connan a split second before she recalled. _They had Luke_. One of Anakin's children, who Connan had dropped off at the Lars house just before returning to the past.

That made sense. They didn't want any danger coming to their little boy, who could be no older than ten, for all Connan knew. Her last question had been interrupted, and she was still clueless as to how long they'd been gone.

But still, she wouldn't want to put her child in danger either, if she were in the same position. She could respect that. She nodded.

"I understand. If you allow us to stay two or three more days—long enough for us to get transportation off of this planet—we'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

Owen nodded. "And one more thing." Connan waited for him to go on. "Luke doesn't know who his father is. He thinks that his father was a pilot for a spice freighter. We would appreciate it if you weren't to disrupt that thought."

Connan stared. _"What_?" She gawked. "You didn't _tell him_?"

"It was for the best," Beru answered. "Telling something like that to a child is not the wisest thing in the world, and as he grew up we've had no right opportunity to bring it up."

Connan scowled. "Fine. He won't hear a word about who his father is from me." From beside her, she could hear Carth scoff.

"Deal." Owen held his hand out and Connan shook it.

"Well," Connan stood and stretched. "I've been inside long enough. Come on, you two; let's go check out the scenery."

**XXXXX**

The moment Connan stepped outside she whirled around in a circle, and Carth watched her robes flow around her. He had to admit, she did look beautiful in those robes.

They looked to be made just for her. They moved with her at a moment's notice, and they accentuated her curves and figure. He was sure that inside the cloak and around her sides were many pockets to store sabers and other weapons.

A blue hand waved in front of his face and made Carth jump. Mission stood beside him, giggling at his dismayed expression.

"If you were looking at her any harder you would drill a hole into her head." She laughed.

Carth smacked her arm as Connan came up and dragged them to the edge of the moisture farm, where they could look down and see the plants they were growing.

"It was around here that we landed." Connan said. "Why is it we're always landing in dangerous spots?"

"It's your insane luck." Mission joked.

Carth shook his head. "So what are we going to do, now?"

Connan thought, tapping her chin with a black glove. "I sort of lied to Owen. I said we'd leave in two or three days, and I meant that. But we're not leaving Tatooine yet."

Mission frowned. "Why not?"

"We need to find Obi Wan." Connan replied. "He said he'd be around Luke until the boy was ready to join the rebellions, so he's got to still be here."

"And after that?"

Connan's face hardened. "We start gathering troops."

Mission nodded. "All right."

"Hey!"

The three looked up from examining the plants below as they saw a young man running toward them, waving a hand in the air wildly.

Connan turned to face him, a smile on her face as she waved back. "Hello, there."

"So I see your three are awake." The boy smiled. He ran a sweaty hand through his short blonde hair, and used the other one to shield his azure eyes from the suns. "That's good to know. I was getting worried. Three days is a long time to be asleep."

Connan shrugged. "I was out for three weeks once."

The boy gawked. "Really? What happened?"

"I was left deserted on the world Korriban with my dog Æliesha until two other Jedi came and found me and hauled me back off to Coruscant."

The boy beamed. "There has to be more to the story than that."

Connan suppressed the urge to laugh. "There's a lot more to it."

"I want to hear it!" His bright face fell for a moment. "That is, if you don't mind telling it."

Connan grinned, holding out her hand. "Sure I don't mind telling you. I'm Connan Frai. This is Carth Onasi and Mission Vao."

The boy shook it. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Luke Skywalker."

Connan tensed. Her grip on Luke's hand froze, and she could feel Carth beside her staring as well.

Connan cried out, yanking the boy into a tight hug.

"_Luke!" _She called. "Oh Force, you're so _big_! You're taller than _I _am! Oh, I haven't seen you in—how old are you?"

Luke made a shocked sound. "Nineteen. How—"

"_Nineteen_!" Connan groaned. "We've been gone for nineteen years! That's nearly two decades! _Wow_!"

"Hold on a minute," Luke grabbed Connan and pushed her back. "You haven't seen me in nineteen years?"

Connan nodded. "We didn't know how long we'd been gone. It hard to say for sure sometimes. But _oh_, I thought you were going to be around ten or something! This, though, this is _perfect_!"

Perfect? Of course it was perfect! He was nineteen; that was _plenty _old enough to join the rebellion! Connan had been worried that he was only around ten or so, and not nearly old enough to do anything dangerous. But Mission was nineteen, and she already had a Cross of Glory. Surely Luke would be able to accompany them on their mission.

"So you were there when I was born." Luke frowned.

Connan looked around, toward the doorway to the house where she knew Owen and Beru were conversing.

"Not out in the open." Connan said. "Beru and Owen wouldn't want me to talk about this."

Luke grinned. "This way."

**XXXXX**

Connan was _hot_.

It was partly her fault, she knew, for keeping her Revan Robes on for so long. She was on one of the hottest planets in the galaxy wearing a pair of dark robes. Granted, they did make her look spectacular—she wasn't so naive that she didn't see Carth gawking at her when she went outside—but if it got any hotter, Connan was sure they would see steam billowing off of her.

It's not like she could have changed clothes, though. True, there were other robes inside her larger bag still in the house, but since she'd woken up she hadn't had time to change. It would have to wait.

It stopped mattering, though, when Luke showed them the room they would be talking in. Luke sat down at the desk and began tinkering with a machine.

Connan's head whirled. This was the _same room _that she and Carth sat in when Shmi—Luke's grandmother—died and were keeping an eye on Anakin.

_Anakin._

Connan threw the sudden angry thought from her mind before it would go further. This wasn't Anakin in the room, it was Luke. His mother hadn't just died, and he hadn't just annihilated an entire squad of Sand People in revenge.

_His mother was already dead._

Connan growled at herself, frustrated with the way her thoughts were moving. She moved to sit on the ground next to Luke. Mission and Carth followed her.

"So," Carth asked, breaking the tension. "What did you want to know?"

"You were there when I was born." Luke repeated.

Connan nodded. "Carth and I were, anyway. Mish was preoccupied." Mission snorted.

"So you knew my parents."

Connan sighed. "Yes. I did."

"Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru have told me about my father." Luke continued. "But they didn't know my mother that well. Could you tell me about her?"

Connan blinked. "Your mother's name was Padmé Amidala. She was the Queen of Naboo for some years and a Senator for the rest of her life, before the _Empire_ took effect." Luke recoiled from how much acid Connan put into _Empire_. "She was a good woman. I spent a lot of time with her over the years."

"How did she die?" Luke asked quietly.

Connan sighed. "They told you childbirth, didn't they?" She rolled her eyes when Luke nodded. "That's not true. She was already dying when they made the choice to induce labor. Some say it was because of a broken heart, but that's a romantic's view. You can't die of broken hearts."

Carth took it up. "You can, however, die from an anxiety attack and a collapsed esophagus."

Luke looked alarmed. "Collapsed esophagus?"

"Someone had choked her." Connan murmured, the memory imprinted in her mind. He wouldn't let go until we forced him. And we couldn't get help until later."

Luke looked away. "What about my father?"

Carth coughed. "What did your Aunt and Uncle tell you?"

"During the Clone Wars he was a pilot for spice freighters."

There was an awkward silence as the three time travelers looked around, unsure of how to go on.

"You said you were nineteen, right?" Mission suddenly asked. Luke nodded. "Me, too."

Luke grinned. "Is that right? How long have you known guys known each other?"

"All three of us met around the same time, actually." Connan explained. "Some time ago—well, five years ago for us—the ship I was working on was under attack. Carth and I were the last two to make it off alive."

She laughed at Luke's face. He turned to face them now, his expression hungry. "Go on." He prompted.

Connan grinned. "We had to find one of our friends—Bastila—before we could get off the planet we crash-landed on. To do that we needed to infiltrate two of the swoop gangs, and Mission was in one of them. She and her Wookie friend Zaalbar helped us get into the other one, and they never left."

Now thoroughly distracted, Luke stared. "You've been in swoop gangs?"

Connan laughed. "What have _you _been doing for nineteen years?"

That brought a scowl to Luke's face. "I've been here, farming and swooping through Beggar's Canyon. I _wish _I could do exciting stuff; most of my friends have left the planet to make their way in the galaxy."

"Aren't you a legal adult?" Mission asked.

"Yeah, but what am I going to do out there on my own?" Luke whined. "I wouldn't know where to start looking, and even if I did, I don't have the money to get there." He sighed. "Besides, I can't just leave my aunt and uncle to fend for themselves."

"They've done it before, I'm sure they can do it again." Carth said.

"Yeah. You're welcome to come with us when we leave." Mission piped in. Connan shushed them.

"Do you _want _to get us kicked out?" She asked. "Don't say that too loudly."

Luke frowned. "Where are you three headed?"

Connan shrugged. "We're going to join the rebellion against the Empire."

Luke beamed. "You hate it, too."

"I hate the Emperor." Connan seethed. "I vowed—nineteen years ago, I guess—that I would kill him no matter what."

Luke's face fell for a split second. "You know the Emperor?"

Connan sighed, shaking her head. "That story would take _way _too long, and to explain _that _story would mean to break into another one about Star Maps and finding a scepter buried in tombs, and _that _story would bring about a whole other story about identities and lies. Let's just say that by the time I finish explaining to you, you'll be an expert at ancient history."

Connan ignored the completely interested look on Luke's face. "What time is it?" She asked.

Luke glanced at the clock. "It's almost time for dinner." He answered, standing. "You said you'd be here tomorrow, right? Well I talked Uncle Owen into getting the Jawas to come to us so we could buy more droids tomorrow. You could join us, if you wanted."

Connan grinned. "Most definitely."

**XXXXX**

That night the three of them stuffed into the small room they woke up in. Connan and Carth shared the bed; Mission had graciously volunteered to sleep on the cots, but not without making kissing noises and syrupy-sweet expressions as they sat down to bed.

"Owen said the Jawas should be here early tomorrow morning," Connan explained. "After that we'll go looking for Obi Wan, I guess."

"You guess?" Carth repeated.

"Well, nothing's really set." Connan swished her now-clean hair around and leaned back into the pillows. "The very first time I came here—when Ani was eight or nine—I was kept occupied by the Jedi Council when they sent me off with Qui-Gon and Obi Wan. But here, we're on our own and have no reference on where to start looking. All we know for sure is that Obi Wan _should _be near here. The best we can do is go look for him, right?"

"That makes sense," Mission shrugged. "He would know a lot more about what's been going on in the galaxy than we would, right? And he would know where to start."

"What about Luke?" Carth asked.

"I don't know why Owen and Beru don't want to let him go." She started. "He's old enough to do what he wants. And since his father is who he is, it's practically _imperative _that he joins the rebellion."

"What about his sister?" Carth murmured, making sure no one outside the door heard.

"If she's still alive, we'll have to find her, too." Connan surmised. She blinked. "I guess that means when we find Obi Wan, we'll have to drag him and Luke off to Alderaan."

"Why Alderaan?" Mission asked.

"She was adopted by Bail Organa, who was Senator of Alderaan at the time. We should start our search there." Carth replied.

"All righty!" Mission stretched languidly before falling flat on her back onto the cot. "Good night, then!"

Connan flicked her finger, using the Force to turn off the light. "Good night, guys."

She huddled close to Carth and was out like a light.

**XXXXX**

**Wow I finished this quickly. I have half an hour before I have to take off for one of my friend's birthday parties. He's turning sixteen! ((tear)) Ha. I'm not getting him anything; I just want to party.**

**Next chapter I **_**finally **_**start on the movie! Gah, I'm so glad that I'm halfway through! **

**See you next week!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	5. Changing Misfortune

"_**Stoop to the changing misfortune.  
**__**Steer for the crossing and the death-god,  
**__**Hold not life's prow on the course against  
**__**Wave beat and accident."**_

_****_

—Eumenides

**Chapter Five: Changing Misfortune**

Connan woke to someone shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Luke standing over her, a bright smile on his face.

"Get up!" He whispered. "The Jawas will be here in a few minutes!" He turned and bolted.

Connan groaned, sitting up and throttling down the sick feeling she got. She shook her head from side to side and held her breath.

Carth sat up beside her and looked around. "Why do I feel like a parent waking up on a child's birthday?"

Connan laughed. "I'll get Mission up."

Mission lay on the cot again, in a strange position with one knee hooked around her arm and the other sliding off the cot. Connan laughed and nudged her arm.

"Mission, it's time to get up."

Nothing.

"Mission, you're going to miss looking at the machines."

Mission turned over and snored.

"Mish. I'm sure Beru has food downstairs."

Mission shot up in the bed, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. "What happened?"

Connan laughed. "Get dressed. The Jawas will be here soon."

Mission nodded. "Fine, fine."

Connan made short work of putting on a spare set of robes. She smoothed them out and placed her sabers inside the loops so they were easy to get to. She grinned. "These feel mediocre now that I've been in my old robes again."

Carth wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into him. He kissed the top of her head. "You're never mediocre."

Connan turned red. "No, but I'm _hungry_." As if on cue, her stomach growled. "I want something to eat!"

Carth laughed. "We'll get something before we head out to the Jawas."

"Or we could just eat the Jawas. They've _got _to have something underneath those hoods that are edible, right?" Connan missed Carth's amused look.

"If you can catch a Jawa, you can eat it." He said as he led her out the door.

Grinning, Mission followed the two lovebirds.

**XXXXX**

Connan strode outside, her stomach full of freshly grown vegetables from the very farm they were residing in. They'd been steamed to perfection and glazed with a light melting cheese.

Or, according to Mission, they'd been given soggy shrubbery coated with cheese to make it _sound _like it was good.

Connan stretched, laughing at the memory of Luke's flabbergasted expression at hearing Mission's hate for vegetables, and Mission's pouting face when she was told that was all she would be getting.

"It's _not funny_!" Mission growled behind her.

"Of _course _it is!" Connan replied, walking around the small house and watching the Jawas set up their machines. Owen and Luke came out together as one of the smaller beings started talking.

"All right, fine." Owen said, waving his hand. "Let's go."

Connan followed Owen and Luke toward the Sandcrawler, Mission and Carth close behind.

"Luke! Luke!" Beru called from inside their farm. Luke turned and looked at Connan for a moment, who grinned and stepped aside for him to meet with his aunt.

"So all they need to do is pick one or two droids?" Mission asked.

Connan nodded. "They probably need help with their farming."

Connan looked at the line of five droids and instantly gawked. The second droid to the right—a small, blue-and-white R2 unit—began rapidly beeping.

"No." She shook her head. "It can't be. There's no way."

"There's no way what?" Mission asked. Carth shushed her, just as shocked as Connan was.

Connan looked at the fourth droid from the right and nearly screamed.

There was simply no mistaking C3PO. His gold-plated skin and bright yellow eyes were hard to miss. He stood, looking outward onto the farm like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Connan made her way to R2-D2 first. She knelt beside him and felt Carth to the same right next to her.

"Hey, little guy. Do you remember me?" She asked. R2-D2 beeped. "I thought so. How did you get to be here? Are you two okay? What's happened since we've seen you last?"

R2-D2 gave off a few buzzes and beeps in reply.

"Okay, okay, I understand if you can't talk about it now. Hang on; I'll see about getting them to buy you." Connan turned around and stood.

"Owen already picked the red one." Mission stated behind Connan. Connan and Carth turned around to stare at her. She pointed to Owen, who had a small red droid following him. Luke stopped the droid for a moment to look him over.

R2-D2 chirped worriedly.

Connan scowled. "I'll get him to buy you."

With another few chirps Connan shushed the small droid. He was nearing C3PO, and since Owen had lived with the droid for a length of time Connan was unsure of his reaction to the droid.

Owen stopped in front of C3PO, looking him up and down. He frowned. "I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol."

"Protocol? Why, it's my primary function, sir. I am well-versed in all the customs—"

_Yup, _Connan thought. _That's definitely C3PO._

"I have no need for a protocol droid." Owen drawled. He turned to leave.

"Of course you haven't, sir. Not in an environment such as this. That is why I have been programmed—" C3PO was again interrupted, making Connan stifle a chuckle.

"What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators." Owens explained.

"Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programming binary load lifters; very similar to your vaoprators in most respects." C3PO replied. He lifted up a gold hand.

"Can you speak Bocce?" Owen asked.

"Of course I can, sir. It's like a second language to me—"

"Yeah, all right. Shut up. I'll take this one." The Jawa beside him began speaking in rapid Jawaese. "Luke!" When Luke came near he continued. "Take these two over to the garage, will you? I want them cleaned up before dinner."

Luke's face fell. "But I was going to go to Tosche station to pick up some power converters." The boy whined.

Owen shook his head. "You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Now come on. Get to it."

Luke looked between his uncle and C3PO. "All right. Come on." He turned and walked away, C3PO following. "And the red one. Come on."

R2-D2 began speaking again, in the worried boops he usually made when something was happening that he didn't like.

Connan grinned. "Watch this."

The red machine stalled for a moment, making Luke frustrated. "Well, come on, red. Let's go!"

R2-D2 tried to move forward, calling out loudly to C3PO. The protocol droid turned around to his old friend. A Jawa came forward with a remote, and aimed it at R2-D2.

Before they could turn R2-D2 off Connan blinked, and the red machine that Owen just bought blew its top off. Luke called his uncle over to check on it.

Mission laughed and slapped Connan on the shoulder. Connan stood and shook her head.

"What are you guys trying to pull?" She called to the Jawas.

"This R2 unit has a bad motivator." Luke explained.

Connan grinned. _It does now, anyway._

"Looks like you'll need another R2 droid." Connan said. "This one seems nice."

"Excuse me, sir," C3PO cut it, nudging Luke's arm. "But I agree. That R2 unit is in prime condition, a real bargain."

"Uncle Owen! What about that one?" Luke pointed to R2-D2 standing next to Connan.

"If you don't buy him I will." Connan called.

"All right. What about that blue one? We'll take that one." He told the Jawas.

You could almost see the smile on C3PO's face as he turned to Luke. "I'm sure you'll be please with that one, sir. He really is in first-class condition. I've worked with him before." Luke nodded and held up a hand. "Here he comes now."

R2-D2 rolled alongside Connan toward Luke.

"Now don't you forget this. Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond me capacity." C3PO grumbled.

Connan ran up beside Luke, who looked positively put-out. "Are you ready?" She asked. "Let's go clean some droids!"

**XXXXX**

"Thank the maker!" C3PO cried as he was lowered into his bath. "This oil bath is going to feel so good. I've got such a bad case dust contamination I can barely move."

Connan stood next to R2-D2 like a bodyguard, her arms crossed. Mission sat on the ground next to her, and on the other side sat Carth.

"It just isn't fair." Luke, of course, who hadn't been paying attention, set down the small X-Wing ship he was playing with and meandered over to R2-D2. "Biggs is right. I'm never going to get out of here."

Connan groaned. "You could always come with us."

"Is there anything I might do to help?" C3PO asked.

"No, not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off of this rock." Luke sneered.

"I don't think so, sir. I'm only a droid and not very knowledgeable of such things, not on this planet, anyway."

"He was _joking_, 3PO." Connan stated.

"As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure which planet we're on." C3PO continued.

"Well," Luke started as he took a hydrospanner to R2-D2's plating. "If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

"I see, sir." C3PO sounded like he didn't see it at all.

"Tatooine, 3PO." Connan supplied.

"You can call me Luke." Luke said as he reached for another tool.

"I see, Sir Luke."

"Just Luke."

"Oh… and I am C3PO, human-cyborg relations." The lever pulled him back up from the oil bath, and he stood there dripping. "And this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

"Hello." Luke said to the droid. R2-D2 let off a string of beeps.

"He said that it was nice to meet you." Connan contributed.

"Oh, you speak astromech?" Luke laughed as he scrubbed at the droid's armor.

"It's not hard to learn." Connan shrugged.

"Ugh, this droid has a lot of carbon scoring. Looks like these boys have seen some action."

R2-D2 let loose with another sequence of beeps, which Connan translated.

"He says that you can say that again."

"With all that we've been through, sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are, what with the rebellion and all." C3PO stated.

Luke leapt up from his spot by R2-D2 and was at C3PO's side in a moment. "You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"Good." Connan muttered.

"That's how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir." C3PO explained. R2-D2 beeped sadly.

"_Poor Ani…."_

Connan blinked at the droid. _Poor Ani? _What did he mean by that?

"Have you been in many battles?" Luke continued.

"Several, I think." C3PO thought. "Actually, there's not much to tell. I'm not much more than an interpreter, and not very good at telling stories. Well, not at making them interesting, anyway."

"R2, have you been with Bail lately?" Connan asked.

The droid beeped his reply. _"We were sent on a mission by him."_

Connan nodded. "What was the mission?"

The two ignored Luke's interested glance. The boy huffed and went back to cleaning the droid.

"_Princess Leia Organa was sent with the _Tantive IV_ in search of Obi Wan Kenobi."_

That was all that needed to be said. Connan could figure the rest. They must have been intercepted.

"And Vader?" She asked, hating the way the name rolled off her tongue. She felt Carth tense beside her.

R2-D2 was hesitant. _"Was looking for something that Princess Leia stole from him."_

"And?"

"_I have it."_

Connan's eyes widened.

If they'd been on a ship and were now on the planet, they must have gotten through by escape pod, and their tracks would lead to the Jawas, which would lead them—

To Luke.

_Bad, bad, very bad. _Connan thought. She must have looked more nervous than she thought; Carth stood and laid a hand on her shoulder.

She'd have to find Obi Wan sooner than she thought. If she could get everyone off planet, and leave a trail that would _lead _them off planet, they might pass up the chance at looking for Luke.

"Well, my little friend," Luke stated, completely oblivious to Connan's inner turmoil. "You got something jammed in here real good." He tried prying it out. "Were you on a Starcruiser, or—"

Luke leapt backward as if he'd been shocked, and R2-D2 booped in surprise. A small holovid played from R2's chest onto the ground.

A small woman was on the screen, a hood over her head. She was constantly looking around, as if she were doing something she shouldn't be.

She looked just like Padmé.

"_Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."_

The woman on the screen jumped as if she heard a sound and leaned down to press a button on R2-D2. The holovid wavered for a second and started over.

"_Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."_

"What's this?" Luke asked, pointing to the woman.

R2-D2 beeped innocently, and Connan cracked up.

"'What is what?' He asked you a question. What is _that_?" C3PO said tersely.

"I know who that is." Connan whispered to Carth. He nodded.

"Leia."

"_Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."_

"_Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."_

R2-D2 beeped nervously.

"He says it's nothing, just a malfunction." Connan said. "Old data. Don't listen to it."

"Who is she?" Luke asked, leaning back against the counter. "She's beautiful."

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir." C3PO answered. "I think she was a passenger on our last voyage. I person of some importance, I do believe. Our captain was attached—"

"Shut up, 3PO." Connan barked.

"Is there any more to this recording?"

R2-D2 beeped rapidly.

"Behave yourself, R2. You're going to get us in trouble." When R2 was silent he continued. "It's all right. You can trust him. He's our new master.

R2 shook his head and replied.

"What did he say?" Luke asked.

"He says that he's the property of Obi Wan Kenobi—a residence of these parts—and it's a private message for him." C3PO huffed. Quite frankly, sir, I don't know what he's talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles."

"Oh, so after all these years he's still captain?" Connan asked.

"_Was_, still captain, I believe." C3PO corrected.

Connan chuckled. "Right. Vader. Bad question."

"But with all we've been through," C3PO continued. "This little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric."

"Obi Wan Kenobi." Luke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi."

Connan's ears perked. She could feel Mission and Carth come to full attention, too.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but do you know what he's talking about?" C3PO asked.

"Well, I don't know any Obi Wan, but old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea. He's kind of a strange old hermit." Luke shrugged.

"_Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."_

"I wonder who she is…." Luke pondered. "Sounds like she's in trouble. I better play back the whole thing."

When Luke reached down to touch R2-D2, the little droid beeped loudly.

Connan smirked. "He says the restraining bolt has short-circuited his recording system. He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the whole recording."

Connan couldn't help but chuckle. If the restraining bolt were to be taken off, he could certainly play back the entire message. Or he could shut it off.

"Huh? Oh, right. Well… I guess you're too small to run off on me if I take this off." Luke pulled his hydrospanner back out and pried the restraining bolt off. "There you go."

The message disappeared.

"Wait a minute. Where'd she go?" Luke asked, whining. "Bring her back, play back the entire message!"

R2-D2 tutted once and sent Connan laughing again.

"'What message?'" C3PO pulled back his hand and smacked R2-D2 across the head, making all three time travelers laugh. "The one you've just been playing! The one you're carrying inside your rusty innards!"

"Aw, come on, 3PO. He's probably just—"

"Luke! Luke?" Beru's voice carried through the room. Luke sighed, exasperated, and turned to the door.

"All right, I'll be right there, Aunt Beru." He replied.

"I'm sorry, sir, but he appears to have picked up a slight flutter." C3PO apologized.

"Here." Luke gave him the restraining bolt. "See what you can do with him. I'll be right back. Come on, guys."

"We're right behind you!" Connan called as he walked away. She turned to R2-D2. "Now seriously. How long ago was that recorded?"

R2-D2 beeped. _"One week. Are you going to help?"_

Connan spluttered. "Of _course _we're going to help. We're here to find Obi Wan, too." She looked around. "It would be a shame, wouldn't it, if someone left the door unlocked?"

"Terrible." Mission shook her head pityingly, crossing her arms. "A droid without a restraining bolt could slip right on through and head out into the night without anyone stopping him."

"If he were undiscovered until late enough, we would have no choice but to wait until morning to go and find him." Carth agreed.

"No!" C3PO complained, looking straight at Connan. "You'll get us all in trouble."

"Of course we won't. Droids without their restraining bolts can do what ever they please." Mission replied. "Like, say, threaten to turn off their best friend if they don't comply?"

R2 whirled off a series of beeps, which sounded more like a laugh than any particular sentence.

"So we'll be heading off behind Luke now." Connan patted R2-D2 on the head and waved at C3PO. Don't go trying any doors to see if they're unlocked, and _please_, for Force's sake, don't go running off into the outskirts of the Dune Sea."

He turned to R2 as they left. "Just you reconsider playing the message for him."

R2-D2 beeped once excitedly.

"_No, _I don't think he likes you at all."

R2 whirled a high note.

"No, I don't like you, either."

**XXXXX**

The three came into the kitchen and sat down just as Luke was telling aunt and uncle about the droids.

"You know, I think that R2 unit might have been stolen."

"What makes you think that?" Owen asked.

"Well, I stumbled across a recording while I was cleaning him. He says he belongs to someone called Obi Wan Kenobi."

Connan took her seat between Owen and Luke, with Carth sitting across from her and Mission on the other side of Luke. They began eating the vegetable soup Beru made. Connan sniggered at Mission's disgusted look.

Still, Connan didn't miss the look that passed between Beru and Owen, and the looks they were giving her. She shrugged. It wasn't _her _fault they bought the droids when they knew what they'd been through.

"I thought he might have meant old Ben." Luke observed, forging through the awkward silence he'd created. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Mm-mm." Owen looked down at his food and shook his head. A blatant lie that drove Connan up the wall immediately.

Luke shrugged, not taking the cold reply as a warning to drop it. "I wonder if he's related to Ben."

"That wizard's just a crazy old man." Owen stated. "Tomorrow I want you to take that R2 unit up to Anchorhead and have its memory wiped. That'll be the end of it. It belongs to us, now."

Connan coughed loudly, causing Owen to glare and Beru to shake her head.

"But what if this Obi Wan comes looking for him?" She asked.

"He won't." Owen replied. "I don't think he exists anymore. He died about the same time as your father."

Connan—who had taken a moment to take a drink from a cup Beru was nice enough to lay in front of her—choked. She sputtered loudly.

"_What?_"

"He knew my father?" Luke asked over her.

Owen gave him a look. "I told you to forget it. Your only concern is to prepare those droids for tomorrow. In the morning, I want them up there on the south ridge working on those condensers."

"Yes, sir." Luke muttered. "I think those new droids are going to turn out fine."

Connan inwardly rolled her eyes.

"In fact," Luke pressed on. "I, uh, was also thinking about our agreement—about me staying on another season."

With the new expression on Owen's face, he knew where this was going. Connan figured she had and idea, too.

"And if these new droids work out, I want to transmit my application for the academy this year." Luke finished.

Owen raised an eyebrow. "You mean the next semester before the harvest?"

"Sure. There's more than enough droids."

"Harvest is when I need you most. It's only one season more." At Luke's disappointed look Owen continued. "This year we'll make enough on the harvest that I'll be able to hire more hands and then you can go to the academy next year."

Connan bristled. She knew what they were doing. They were trying to keep him from becoming a big name, where anyone could discover him. They were trying to keep him at home where the Sith would never suspect he would be. It had probably worked for the last nineteen years, and now that he was forming his own will, it was getting harder to control him.

"You must understand I need you here, Luke." Owen pleaded.

"But it's a whole 'nother year!" Luke whined.

"Look, it's only one more season." Owen replied.

Luke threw his napkin down and stood. "Yeah, that's what you said when Biggs and Tank left."

"Where are you going?" Beru asked.

"Looks like I'm going nowhere." Luke shrugged, "I have to go finish cleaning the droids."

"Owen," Beru scolded lightly when he left. "He can't stay here forever. Most of his friends have gone. It means so much to him."

"I'll make it up to him next year." Owen promised.

Connan sighed. "Luke _isn't _a farmer, Owen. Even _I _can see it. He's got too much of Anakin in him."

Owen scowled and nodded his head. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Mission growled. "You just _lied _to him. How can you lie like that to him?"

"That's none of your concern." Owen said to her.

"It's _mine_, though, and it's _Carth's_, and that makes it hers." Connan defended. "Not telling people things is one thing, Force knows I use that enough. But outright lying I do _not _approve of."

"You would have me tell him about his father?" Owen asked.

"I would have you _not _tell him that his father was a pilot for a spice trader, or that Obi Wan is _dead_." Connan stood as well. She turned to Beru. "Thank you for the food."

"And where are _you _going?" Carth called. She whirled around on him.

"I'm going to find Luke." She smirked. "He shouldn't be out there with the droids so late."

"I think I'll go with you." Mission said. She stood.

Carth sighed and followed.

**XXXXX**

They found Luke right outside the house, standing on the edge of the farm pit and looking at the two suns as they set.

"You know," Connan started. "I was once attacked by two bounty hunters called the Twin Suns." She could see Luke's ear perk up, and she knew he was listening. She grinned and continued. "My friend Donella and I were stuck on an Exchange ship—the Exchange being some big crime organization where I'm from—and couldn't get out until my Master Kreia and Mira came to get us out. We had to get off the ship before it blew up, and were accosted by them. Nearly killed us all, but we managed to overcome them."

Luke turned around. "Where were these two?" He pointed to Mission and Carth.

"Well, I was on the run at the time and didn't get to see much of Carth, and Mission was spending time with Zaablar, I think." Connan seemed satisfied when Mission nodded.

Luke gawked. "What were you on the run from?"

Connan laughed. "Now _that's _a long story. Let's just say that I was going out to correct something I'd done wrong, and the proper authorities didn't think I should be the one to do it."

Luke frowned. "Who are you? Really."

Connan shrugged. "I'm Connan Frai. This is Carth Onasi, and this is—"

"I _know _that." He insisted. "I mean, are those your real names?"

Mission chuckled. "Connan has two names."

"Mission and I only have one." Carth finished.

"Why do you wear strange clothing?" Luke asked. "Yesterday you were decked out in that dark material, but it looks a lot like this does. I've never seen this before."

Connan shrugged. "They're called Jedi Robes."

"You said that word yesterday."

Connan frowned. "Did I?" She hummed. "I guess I did."

"What's a Jedi?"

Connan grinned. "That's a _good _question." She stretched. "Too bad I can't be the one to tell you."

"What? Why not?" Luke whined.

"There's a lot of philosophy behind it, and I'm sure _someone _would get mad at me if I taught you _my _philosophy before you learned the clichéd version." She smirked. "Let's just say I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeves."

Luke looked down and nodded. He looked back up at her meekly.

"Will you tell me about one of your adventures?" He asked.

"Ooh!" Mission waved a hand around in the air wildly. "Let's tell him about trying to find Zaalbar in the sewers!"

"Gross." Luke sat down and shook his head. From the look in his eyes, however, his was far from uninterested.

Connan smirked and started.

**XXXXX**

By the time the three of them were through telling the story (where they may have _accidentally _gone into winning the swoop race in two heats) it was plenty dark outside. Luke had suddenly remembered the droids he was supposed to be cleaning, and went to investigate.

Connan, Carth, and Mission trailed behind him slowly, keeping their distance.

"You think we gave him enough time?" Mission asked.

"Are you kidding? This is R2-D2 we're talking about. He probably left the moment we did." Carth whispered. "The smart little hunk of metal knows how to work an advantage."

"It was for the best, anyway." Connan explained. "He told me some things while Luke was cleaning him. It looks like Leia's ship was attacked by Ani, and R2-D2 and C3PO were forced into an escape pod with a mission to give that message to Obi Wan. I think Ani might have Leia."

Carth tensed. "That is _not _good."

"Right. Whatever Anakin attacked their ship for, R2 has it now. They will be able to trace it back here to Luke. We've got to find Obi Wan as soon as possible."

Mission nodded. "We'd better hurry then."

By the time they got there, Luke was rushing out of the door with a pair of binoculars. Connan grinned.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"That little droid ran off on us!" Luke cried out.

"That R2 unit has always been a problem. These astrodroids are always getting quite out of hand." C3PO stated calmly. "Even I can't understand their logic at times."

"Do you see him?" Connan asked, peering out into the darkness.

"I don't see a thing." Mission replied.

"How could I be so stupid?" Luke asked himself. "He's no where in sight."

"Force!" Connan cried. "We should go after him!"

"It's too dangerous, with all the Sand People around. We'll have to wait until morning." Luke growled.

"Luke!" Owen called from inside. "I'm shutting the power down."

"All right, we'll be in in a few minutes!" He sighed. "Boy, am I going to get it…." He stamped his foot. "You know, that little droid is going to cause me a lot of trouble."

"Oh, he excels at that, sir." C3PO agreed.

All Connan could do was laugh.

**XXXXX**

**I meant to update last week, but my friend came in for the month and I got to spend some time with her.**

**Yesterday was our first band contest since our band director left us. We got sixth place out of twenty. It's not horrible, but we're used to sweeping. Not to mention our new director kept forgetting to tell us everything. No matter. We still did better than we expected. We're all just **_**exhausted**_**.**

**Sorry it took so long today for me to update. I did like three versions of this chapter and decided I like this one best.**

**Ah, yes! I almost forgot. I started on the movie! I'm on chapter 12 and I'm 0:27:46 of the way through.**

**Until next Sunday!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	6. A Man Is Coming

"_**Death, Death, I say to you  
****This day your cruelty is too weak!  
**__**Listen; a man is coming,  
**__**Here, to Pheræ: a man is coming,  
**__**Stronger than all your strength. Here, in this house  
**__**Admentos will receive him, and honor him.  
**__**And it is he, Death, who will wrestle with you and take  
**__**Alcestis back from you at the door of Hell!  
**__**For you must weild her, Death!  
**__**And though you deny me now, you shall yield at last to my hate!"**_

—_**Alcestis**_

**Chapter Six: A Man Is Coming**

Connan was up early the next morning, but it wasn't because she was anxious to find Obi Wan.

Her eyes had popped open when the suns were still down, and there would be many hours left before the light would come. It was one of those moments when you're ripped away from the dream, with no recollection as to what it was. You simply open your eyes and you're awake.

Connan opened her eyes in the middle of the night, sick to her stomach. She sat up and untwisted herself from Carth, slipping out of the bed and the room without a sound.

Connan quickly made her way to the 'fresher. She barely closed the door to give herself some privacy when she started throwing up.

Ten minutes later when she felt like the attack was over, she stood and walked outside to the cool night.

She rubbed her arms lightly and paced in front of the door. So, it seemed her symptoms of being sick had carried over through time, too. That would set her back. If Carth thought she was still sick he definitely wouldn't let her go into fights.

And with the way she was feeling right now, with her stomach turning flips and a strange desire for lemons, she wouldn't fight long with him before simply giving in.

_Well,_ Connan thought as she looked toward the horizon. _I still have some hours left before everyone else wakes up. Might as well go see if they have any food._

**XXXXX**

By the time Carth woke up, Connan had been searching for food long enough for Beru to wake up and assist her. He wandered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He sat down next to Connan and watched her devour a salad. It seemed like every other bite she would reach for a lemon and squeeze it over a section before spearing a piece onto her fork. Carth noticed a lemon already squeezed out of all its juices and made to pick it up.

"Don't!" Connan said between mouthfuls. "I can zest that."

Carth dropped it, chuckling. "Hungry this morning?"

It was Beru who answered. "I found her in here a while ago looking for food, so I helped her out. She wanted lemons, so I gave her this salad to drizzle it on."

Carth gave Connan a scolding look for going through someone else's things. "I said thank you!" She retaliated, popping another forkful into her mouth.

"I would have given her fish; it goes so much better than a salad does." Beru excused, shaking her head. "But fish is expensive on Tatooine."

"This is fine, really." Connan shot Beru a smile, showing that she really was appreciative of the save.

Luke and Mission came in at the same time, both looking alert. Mission made a beeline for Connan and sat down on the other side of her. "You could have woken me up, you know."

"I don't think I would have succeeded if I tried; you sleep like a rock." Connan replied. Mission slapped her arm.

"Anyway, Luke wants to head out before his uncle wakes up, so go get dressed for the day." She whispered.

Connan nodded, taking one last bite of the salad. "Thank you, Beru, for the food." She wrapped an arm around her friend and squeezed.

Connan went into their small room and looked at her things. She'd already worn the extra set of robes she had when she was caught; everything else had been left of the ship except for the gadgets in her room. The only other pair of clothes she had was her Revan Robes. She would be sweltering if she were out in the middle of the day.

_Well, _she thought, _at least Luke has to be back by midday._

She quickly changed into her Revan Robes and took a moment to arm herself. She took her blasters out of her larger bag and fastened them into place. She found her sabers and hooked them onto her belt. Then she placed the grenades and mines into her shoulder bag along with her mask. There was virtually nothing in her large bag now but a few useless datapads about pregnancies. She took a quick look at them before stuffing them back into her large bag.

"Are we gearing up for battle?" Carth asked from the doorway. Connan barely kept herself from jumping. She zipped up her larger bag tightly and turned to him. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning on the doorframe. He wore a casual gray shirt and his usual military pants, armed with blasters on his belt.

Connan laughed. "This is Tatooine. You never know what's going to happen, and I'm not willing to take any chances anymore."

Carth grinned, holding out a hand to her. "Good. Let's get going. Luke is about to throw a fit."

Connan grasped Carth's hand and followed him out.

**XXXXX**

By the time Connan and Carth made it outside, Mission and Luke already had C3PO in the speeder and they were ready to go. Carth helped Connan in before settling into the backseat, and Luke tore out of the farm.

"Which direction do you think he went?" Connan asked.

"It makes most sense for him to head east," Luke replied. "That was the closest exit to the building he was in, and it's the quickest way through the Dune Sea."

"So we're just picking a direction and going for it?" Carth asked.

Luke shrugged. "It's about the only thing we _can _do." He looked back and gave Connan a pointed look. "Unless you can somehow find him."

Carth glanced at Connan questioningly. Connan shook her head. "I can find _life forms._ I can't find droids. R2-D2 will feel just like the rocks and the sand if I try looking for him."

At Carth's discouraged face Connan continued. "But don't worry; R2-D2 wouldn't make it impossible for us to find him, and he'll have to walk because of the sand. That's bound to slow him down. If he's in this direction, we'll find him."

"We'd find him quicker if Luke would pay attention to how fast he was going and actually _look _at the scanner." Mission pointed out, jabbing at the scanner.

"I'm looking at it!" Luke replied. "I can do more than one thing at a time, you know."

"Like speed and talk?" Mission shot back. "You're going fifty kilometers faster than what the scanner can pick up! How are you going to find him; stand up and _look_?"

"That's deadly," Connan interjected. "You could go blind like that from all the sand."

"Not to mention the fact that he'd have to let go of the steering wheel." Carth added.

"The scanner can pick things up just fine." Luke seethed. "I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? How many droids have you lost before this one?" Mission asked.

Luke snarled, making Connan laugh. "All right, Mission. You've heckled him enough. He's bound to crash us into a boulder just to shut us up."

Mission grinned. "I'm getting as good as _you _are!"

Connan's look became stern, though you could see the smile in her eyes. "Only in your mind, my very young apprentice."

Mission snarled. "Young? _Young? _Might I remind you that you were younger than me when you single-handedly defeated the—"

"Yes, yes, and seven years later I defeated something else, and five years later I'm trying to defeat someone else," Connan deflected, seeing Luke's completely interested face. "The never-ending story of my life. Quite literally, considering when we are."

"What do you mean—" Luke blinked, his eyes focused on the scanner. "Lookit, there's a droid on the scanner."

Connan leaned forward to take a look. "Dead ahead."

"That might be R2." Carth inserted.

"Go faster!" Mission ordered.

Luke rounded a curve, speeding as fast as the speeder would let them go. Connan blinked and looked around.

"What is it?" Carth asked.

"Sand People." Connan answered. "On top of that mountain."

Carth cringed. "How many of them?"

"Five, at least." Connan counted quickly. "They have a few banthas with them."

"Good thing you came armed for war." Carth joked.

"Hah hah." Connan slapped his arm.

Luke stopped the speeder meters from R2 and leapt out to cut him off.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Luke asked, holding out his hands.

R2-D2 beeped rapidly, almost impatiently.

"Master Luke is your rightful owner, now!" C3PO argued. "We'll have no more of the Obi Wan Kenobi gibberish."

"_But I have to—"_

"And don't talk to me of your mission, either." C3PO insisted. "You're fortunate he doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here."

"Hey, now…." Connan warned. "Let's not be violent about it."

"No, it's okay," Luke said to the droid. "But I think we'd better go."

Connan felt them as soon as R2-D2 started alerting Luke. She pulled out two blasters and threw them to Mission and Carth before taking her sabers out and leaving them unlit.

"What's wrong with him now?" Luke asked.

"There are several creatures approaching from the southeast." C3PO translated.

"Sand People." Connan simplified.

"Or worse." Luke shook his head.

"Get a blaster." Connan ordered, throwing one to him, too. He caught it as he pulled out his binoculars.

"Come on, let's go take a look." Luke rushed off before he could get an answer.

"Look?" Connan repeated. "We should get _out _of here."

Luke ignored her warning and scaled a jagged rock. He set himself on top and scanned the area.

"Well, there are two banthas down there, but I don't see any—" Luke paused. Connan growled and made her way up to him. "Wait a minute. They're Sand People, all right. I can see one of them now."

Connan saw one of the Sand People rush out of hiding toward Luke. "Luke!"

C3PO—who had followed Luke up the rock—gave a shout of surprise and fall back off. Luke looked up, the warrior right in front of him. The Tuskan Raider kicked Luke backward and raised his gaffi stick to strike.

Connan leapt forward, igniting her saber as she collided with the Raider's chest.

The resulting sound was nearly deafening. At least a dozen Sand People jumped up and raised their sticks aggressively.

"Luke, back up and use that blaster." Connan ordered as the Sand People came forward.

Mission shot down one Raider before taking out a vibrosword and joining the fray with Connan. Carth and Luke stayed in the back, fending off the Sand People that got past Connan and Mission.

Connan sliced a portion of one Raider's head off before Mission stabbed him through the chest. Connan instantly whirled around and knocked another's feet out from beneath him before decapitating him. Mission blocked an attack meant for Connan before Connan elbowed the offending Raider and they both cut off his arms. Connan had his head rolling before he could cry out in pain.

Four down.

"Connan!" Carth called.

Connan looked back to see a Raider set itself on Luke. Carth couldn't protect him; he was being blocked by another two.

"Mission." Connan called. Mission nodded and wheeled around to help Carth as Connan turned to make her way to Luke.

Before Connan could get very far, the Raider clipped Luke on the head.

Connan shrieked, now positively angry, and clenched her hands together. The violent Raider cried out in pain before its head was crushed in by the sheer pressure Connan placed on it.

Mission and Carth were over to her in seconds, having dealt with the other two. Connan looked around.

"There are still more Sand People. They outnumber us." Connan stated. "And I need to look at Luke."

"We should just stay still until they leave, then." Carth advised.

"Under that rock, with R2-D2." Mission pointed to where R2-D2 sat, under a shady hole in a rock. "I can use a stealth unit and you can cloak Luke and Carth."

Connan nodded. "Let's hurry."

They dove into the cavity and Connan cloaked them just as the remaining four Sand People came into view. Connan held Luke's unconscious body closely, listening for signs of life. Carth held onto Connan tightly, not paying attention to the rippling air waves around where Mission was supposed to be.

R2-D2 looked at them questioningly, but Connan put a finger to her lips and shushed him silently. He turned and was soundless.

Connan could feel Luke breathing more than she could hear it. She could feel his blood pumping through his body, and if she listened hard enough through the Force she could hear his heartbeat. He was alive, but he was going to have quite the headache when he woke up.

The four Sand People looked over the speeder, pulling things out. They would inspect the items, and if they had no knowledge of them, or if they didn't want them, they were thrown behind them. Connan was secretly glad she'd taken her bag out of the car with them, or the Sand People would have had enough mines and grenades to blow up most of Mos Eisley.

A large howl broke through the Sand People's quiet conversation, one that Connan couldn't recognize. It sounded big, and it sounded dangerous, and it immediately set her on edge. She pulled Mission into the cloak and wrapped it more securely around.

"What was _that_?" Mission asked as she turned off her stealth.

Connan shook her head. "I don't know. Stay quiet. Don't move."

R2-D2 beeped, moving his head to the side. Connan followed his line of vision to the top of another rock, where what looked like a very tall Jawa stood.

Whatever it was, the Sand People freaked. They turned with shouts of fear and were gone in a flash.

Connan pulled Luke closer, and even Mission huddled closer to the group. Carth wrapped his arms tighter around Connan.

Connan studied the figure as it made its way toward the speeder. It looked taller than a Jawa, certainly, but with its hood up she had no way of knowing what it was. It was getting closer; if she could get Carth to understand the situation, he might be able to get a clear shot of it when it got close enough. Anything would die if you hit it in its head; surely this would as well.

The figure, however, didn't seem interested in the speeder at all. It looked around at the dead Sand People, inspecting the one with its head crushed into itself and glancing over the ones where the attack started. It tapped its foot and crossed it arms, turning in circles, like it couldn't find what it was looking for.

The three under the rock sat completely still. R2-D2 didn't move a wire, and Connan hoped with all her might that Luke wouldn't wake up soon.

Their luck was against them. The figure pulled its head up and stared into the crevice closely, as if scrutinizing for flaws.

It was then that the figure pulled its hood back, and revealed himself as a man. An old man, with a white beard and thin, wild hair.

Connan thought he looked familiar.

"Well, hello there." The man called politely. Connan blinked, trying to place the sound of his voice. "I almost couldn't find you."

The three still didn't move, and Connan didn't let the cloak down. R2-D2 refrained from speaking.

"I hope you have the boy with you." The man continued. "Or I'd say we're all in a bit of trouble. Of course, we could all be in trouble anyway, depending." When nothing happened the man sighed and went on. "Cautious, are you? Come here, don't be afraid."

R2-D2 complied immediately, stepping outside the cloak and showing himself to the man. The cloak fell apart, leaving the others exposed.

Connan had handed Luke to Carth and was up in an instant. She placed herself between R2-D2 and the man and dragged her sabers out.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice sounding angrier than she meant for it to be. The man stopped for a moment and stared at Connan closely. Carth and Mission stood and carried Luke out into the open, where they could lay him out and check him over with space. Connan stood in the man's line of sight to them.

The man stared at Connan for a moment before laughing. The laugh sounded familiar, too. "It happens every time," He whispered to himself. Connan chuckled, frustrated. "Connan, nineteen years and you haven't aged a day."

Connan blinked. She resheathed her sabers and grinned. "Obi Wan?"

The man nodded. Connan leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him and nearly unbalancing them both.

"Oh, I nearly attacked you! Look at you! I haven't seen you in _forever_! You're… you're…." She got a good look at him. "Oh, Force, you're _old_! What happened? You should only be about sixty."

Obi Wan laughed again. "I am fifty-seven, thank you, and I think I look good for my age."

"If Carth looks like that when _he _turns fifty-seven, I'm going to get him some surgery." Connan chided. Obi Wan grinned.

"I've missed you." He admitted.

Connan grinned. "I've been _looking _for you. Why aren't you ever around when I need you?"

Obi Wan shrugged. "I've been doing actual _important _things." He looked over Connan's shoulder. "What about Luke?"

Connan turned around. "He's breathing. He just got clocked on the head pretty hard. Worst he'll have is a headache."

"That's good." He said, walking toward where Carth and Mission lay checking the boy up. "When I saw you in that outfit trying to protect Luke I nearly had an attack, you know." He said, pointing toward Connan's apparel. "I thought the Sith had finally found him and were trying to kill him."

"Well, don't let go of that thought yet." Connan muttered. She whirled around, giving Obi Wan a view of the whole outfit. "These were my robes when I was Revan."

Obi Wan nodded approvingly. "I believe you."

Luke groaned and stirred. Carth grasped his shoulder and hoisted him up.

"Rest easy, son." Obi Wan advised. "You've had a busy day."

"You're lucky you're all in one piece." Mission said from his side, crossing her arms and looking put-out. "That Raider could have done worse."

Luke looked around, and locked eyes with Obi Wan. He stared. "Ben? Ben Kenobi?"

"I bet you're just as glad to see him as we are." Connan grinned.

"The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly." Obi Wan lightly scolded. Luke stood uneasily. "Tell me, young Luke, what brings you out this far?"

Luke groaned, sitting on a small rock. "Oh, this little droid. I think he's searching for his former master, but I've never seen such devotion in a droid before."

Obi Wan stared at R2-D2, trying not to grimace.

"He claims to be the property of an Obi Wan Kenobi." Luke continued. Obi Wan frowned, giving the droid another look, this one calculating. "Is he a relative of yours? Do you know who he's talking about?"

"Obi Wan Kenobi?" Obi Wan asked. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. A _long _time."

"I think my uncle knows him." Connan snorted at that. "He said he was dead."

Obi Wan chuckled wryly. "I bet Connan had a field day with that one."

"You bet I did."

"Well, he's not dead." Obi Wan clarified. He sighed and looked around. "Not yet."

"Do you know him?" Luke asked.

"Well, of _course_ I know him; he's me!" Obi Wan pointed to himself. R2-D2 beeped smugly. "I haven't gone by the name of Obi Wan since, oh, right after Connan left." He nodded to Connan.

Luke stared at Connan, his jaw dropped. "_You _know _Connan_?"

"You'd be surprised at how many people I know, Luke." Connan replied.

He swallowed all his questions for later. "Well, then, so the droid belongs to _you_?"

"I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid," Obi Wan looked around innocently, ignoring the chiding remarks coming from the R2 unit. "Very interesting."

A growl came from around them. Connan looked up. The Sand People were regrouping.

"Come, then." Obi Wan waved them away from the speeder. "We'd better get indoors. The Sand People are easily startled but they'll soon be back in greater numbers."

R2-D2 beeped once, loudly, but it was long enough for Connan to get the idea.

"3PO." She said. She turned and looked around.

Luke came across an arm with frazzled wires not far from where he sat. Not far away lay the golden droid.

Connan and Obi Wan hoisted him into a sitting position.

"Where am I?" He asked. "I must have taken a bad step."

"Can you stand?" Luke asked. "We've got to get out of here before the Sand People return."

"I don't think I can make it, Master Luke. You go on." C3PO volunteered. "There's no sense in you risking yourself on my account. I'm done for."

R2-D2 beeped sadly.

"No you're not. What kind of talk is that?" Connan asked. "You're such a cynic."

"Quickly, they're on the move." Obi Wan pulled C3PO up and began walking away.

**XXXXX**

Obi Wan lived in a small hut just outside the Dune Sea, like Luke said he did. It was dark, for the most part, but that just meant it was cool. Connan took a seat on the floor, followed by Carth and a nervous Mission.

"Oh! Obi Wan, this is Mission Vao. Mission, this is Obi Wan." Connan pointed to them both in turn.

Obi Wan grinned. "I thought so. You've told me enough about all of your friends that I think I could tell who is who on sight."

Mission grinned. "Likewise, except for the knowing who you are part. Her descriptions keep changing each time she gets dragged anywhere."

Obi Wan grinned.

"So how do you two know each other?" Luke asked as he set C3PO down onto the bench on the right side of the room. He sat beside him and began reattaching his arm.

"I was marooned on a desolate planet with my dog until he and his Master came and found me. We've been friends ever since." Connan shrugged.

"Really?" Luke looked awed. "Could you tell me about it?"

Connan shrugged. "I landed on a planet called Korriban, where the Sith usually have control. I wasn't conscious for any of it, but my dog was. She fended Obi Wan and Qui Gon—his Master—off for a long time before they could get past her and help. I woke up on Coruscant."

Obi Wan shook his head. "She nearly tore us to pieces when she first woke up. It took longer to convince _her _we were okay than it did to convince her dog."

"What were you doing on the planet?" Luke asked.

Connan frowned. What _had _they been doing? "I was looking for something."

"What did you do when you woke up?"

"I went with Obi Wan and Qui Gon to Naboo—" Oh, just _thinking _about that beautiful planet made Connan get teary-eyed. "—and we tried to stop the planet-wide siege." She grinned. "And we had to crash land on Tatooine."

At this Luke blinked. He looked from Obi Wan to Connan. "If _you _knew my father, did Ben?" Luke asked.

Obi Wan sighed sadly. "Yes. I knew him, too. I'm the one who trained him before, during, and after the Clone Wars. He was a great Jedi Knight."

Luke frowned. "No, my father was never in the wars. He was a navigator for a spice freighter."

"That's what Owen told you." Connan seethed.

"He didn't hold with your father's ideals." Obi Wan explained.

"Though not many people did." Connan muttered under her breath.

"Did you two fight in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, pointing between the two of them.

"All _three _of us did." Connan tugged at Carth. "Obi Wan and I are Jedi, same as Anakin was."

Force, how she hated using the past tense.

Obi Wan leaned back in his chair and thought. Connan clasped one of Carth's hands, playing with the fingers.

Luke sighed. "I wish I'd known him."

"He was the best star pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior." Obi Wan owned. "I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself."

Luke grinned bashfully and continued his work on C3PO.

"He was a good friend." Obi Wan continued. He looked around. "Which reminds me. I have something here for you." He stood and made his way around Connan and her friends, toward the left wall. He opened the chest propped up there and pulled something out. "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it."

Connan frowned. As far as Anakin hopefully knew, Luke was dead.

"He feared you might follow old Obi Wan and Connan on some damn-fool idealistic crusade, like your father did." Obi Wan finished.

Connan laughed, outraged. "Is that what he told you?"

"Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for a while." C3PO interrupted.

"Sure. Go ahead." Luke nodded. C3PO went blank.

Obi Wan headed back toward Luke, and Connan got a good look at what was in his hands.

"Oh."

The old man had clearly cleaned all the blood off of Anakin's old lightsaber; it looked as if it had been kept in mint condition.

Connan shivered. She could still hear Anakin's screaming as Obi Wan cut off his limbs at once, on instinct. She could still feel Anakin's pain, nearly killing him and dragging her down, too.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"It's your father's lightsaber." Obi Wan replied, holding it out for Luke to take. "This is the weapon of the Jedi."

Luke held the item in his hands, inspecting it closely.

"There are many kinds of lightsabers, each made as their user sees fit." Connan went on. "I have many myself, but only use the same two.

"It's not as clumsy or random as a blaster." She continued.

Luke turned it on and it hissed to life. He stared at it and turned it around in his hand carefully.

"It's an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age." Obi Wan finished.

Connan held back a snort. _Civilized. Since when is the death of younglings _civilized_?_

She ignored it as Obi Wan went on. "For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights have been the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the Dark times. Before the Empire."

"There were Dark times with us, too, you know." She stated. "Malak, Traya, Sion, Nihilus, Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, there are lots of people who have wanted to take over the Old Republic within the thirty years I've been around."

Luke glanced from Connan and her friends to Obi Wan. He resheathed the lightsaber and took a seat next to Obi Wan. "How did my father die?"

Connan sniffed, looking to Obi Wan.

Obi Wan looked sick for a moment before looking back at Luke. "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights."

Connan shivered again, clutching her arm where the thin line could be seen where her arm had fallen from the rest of her body.

"He betrayed and murdered your father."

Connan's temper flared. The nice looking table set inside the kitchen splintered in half and crashed to the floor. _Is _everyone _going to lie to Luke?_

Luke jumped at the noise. Obi Wan shot a glance to Connan and mentally shushed her.

"Now the Jedi are all but extinct." Obi Wan went on. "Vader was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force."

"The Force?" Luke repeated.

"The Force is what separates Jedi from regular soldiers." Connan explained. "It's what gives a Jedi his or her power."

At Luke's uncertain look Obi Wan took over. "It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."

Luke frowned.

"For Jedi the Force can do many things." Connan went on.

"Like what?" Luke asked.

Connan shrugged, looking around. "Like…." She spotted a bowl of fruit sitting peacefully on the coffa table beside Luke. "This."

Connan stared at the fruit. It rose into the air and began orbiting in a circle, faster and faster. Connan set it back onto the table quickly and glanced at Luke. "That was just an example. There are _many _things the Force can help you with."

It was enough for Luke. He looked completely enraptured.

"Well," Obi Wan broke off Luke's thinking. "Let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend. And where you come from."

"It's got something to do with Leia." Connan said, quickly and quietly before Luke could catch it. Obi Wan glanced at her before at the holovid emitting from R2-D2.

"I saw part of a message he was—" Luke turned and saw the message already playing.

"I seem to have found it." Obi Wan cut him off.

Leia stood bent over in front of R2-D2 before she began talking.

"_General Kenobi, many years ago you and the esteemed General Frai served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I am afraid my mission to bring the both of you to Alderaan has failed._

"_I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory system of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan._

"_This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, Connan Frai, you're my only hope."_

The woman on the screen turned at a sudden noise and was gone.

"Well," Connan crossed her arms and sat back, determined not to sound as worried as she really was. "That explained a lot."

"How do you think they knew you were here?" Obi Wan asked.

"I remember saying I would come back when the time was right, like you did." Connan replied. "I guess he's more in tune to the Force than we thought if he had the insight to include me in the mission. He must have known the Force would bring me back at this time."

"What?" Luke asked, completely bewildered. "Bring you back? What are you talking about?"

Obi Wan ignored him, opting to sit back and think.

Connan didn't answer either, but only because her mind was racing. She worked at finding the bond she'd created with Obi Wan years before.

"_Can you hear me?" _She called.

"_Yes."_

"_Luke bought R2 and 3PO just yesterday from the Jawas. They crash landed from Leia's ship onto Tatooine and were picked up on a sandcrawler. If R2 has this information and their ship was under attack, that means the Sith know that the information is on the planet. They can trace it to the Jawas."_

"_And then to Luke." _Obi Wan concluded. Connan nodded.

"_Carth, Mission and I let R2 out in the hopes that he would find you before he got into trouble."_

"_It's a stupid question, but are you coming with me?"_

At Connan's skeptical look Obi Wan grunted. _"Good."_

Obi Wan turned to Luke. "You must learn the ways of the Force if you're to come with me to Alderaan."

Luke's jaw dropped. "Alderaan? I'm not going to Alderaan. I've got to get home. It's late. I'm in for it as it is."

"We need your help, Luke." Connan called. "_She _needs your help."

"I'm getting too old for this sort of thing." Obi Wan admitted.

Luke stopped and whirled around on Connan. "How _old _are you, anyway? If you two have known each other around thirty years, shouldn't you be around his age?"

Connan laughed loudly. "Believe me. I'm older. I wear my age well."

Mission snickered.

"Are you coming or not?" Connan asked.

"I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not like I like the Empire, I _hate_ it, but there's nothing I can do about it right now. It's all such a long way from here."

"Is it?" Connan challenged. "That's your uncle talking."

Luke sighed. "My uncle. How am I ever going to explain this?"

"Learn about the Force, Luke." Obi Wan persuaded.

Luke looked completely conflicted for a moment. He looked at the lightsaber held in his tight grip and jerkily held it toward Obi Wan. "Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going."

"You must do what you feel is right, of course." Obi Wan admonished. "Come, I'll give you a ride back."

Luke nodded and quickly swept outside. Connan turned on C3PO and watched as the two droids followed Luke out. She instantly turned to Obi Wan afterwards.

"R2 and 3PO had been wandering for a week. The Sith are bound to have found the Jawas by now." She whispered urgently.

"And?" Obi Wan replied.

"We need to show him that it's _not _all so far away from here."

Obi Wan nodded. "Yes, I do think I must agree with you. I'll drive. You tell me where to go."

**XXXXX**

**Well, this only took me all day to finish.**

**We had our U.I.L. yesterday for marching band. We got straight ones, which is the highest score you can get. I think it's awesome that even though we should have sucked this year because our awesome teacher abandoned us for someone we knew for two weeks, we still rocked. How's **_**that **_**for a Hollywood movie?**

**Anyway, I'm on chapter 17 and I'm 0:39:05 of the way through. And I just hit the 21 page mark.**

**Have a good week, and I'll see you next Sunday!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	7. Ugly Though Your Treatment Is

"_**We are diminishing, we cannot thrive.  
**__**Who would expect to grapple such a man  
**__**And then escape unharmed from that folly?  
**__**Take care, ugly though your treatment is now  
**__**We shall know worse if your words are overheard.  
**__**It would solve nothing for us, do us no good,  
**__**To win a good report by a shameful death,  
**__**And not be able to get it, is wasteful."  
**_—_**Electra**_

**Chapter Seven: Ugly Though Your Treatment Is**

"_That's it. Keep going east."_

Connan could feel it. She could feel the surprise and terror etched into the horizon from the Jawas. She could smell their anguish; she could practically taste their pain.

Not only that, she could see the smoke.

"Say, Luke," She asked casually, pointing at the ever-growing puff of smoke as if it happened every day. "What do you think that is?"

Luke squinted at the sight. "I'm not sure," He replied. "There's not much that you can burn out here. Maybe it's a Sandcrawler."

"We'd better go check it out." Mission shrugged.

"What?" Luke gawked. "We're already late enough as it is."

"What if the Jawas need help?" Carth asked. "You want us to just keep rolling by?"

Luke growled. "I guess you're right. And hey, I'm already late enough. What's a couple more hours?"

Connan laughed, smacking the angry child on the shoulder. "That's the spirit."

"_Hurry it up, before he changes his mind."_

"_I'm going as fast as I can, Connan."_

"_Oh, come on. _I _can drive faster than this."_

"_Since I don't want a repeat of the Changeling hunt over Coruscant, I will have to simply take your word for it."_

Connan stuck her tongue out. "Scaredy-gizka."

Obi Wan ignored her and kept driving.

**XXXXX**

There was nothing left.

The sand was completely charred around the Sandcrawler. There were no Jawas left; they'd all fled or had been killed. There were tiny Jawa robes littering the burnt ground, but as R2-D2 ran over one, there was nothing in it.

R2-D2 whooped in shock.

"Bad luck, Jawas." Connan muttered.

The side of the Sandcrawler was completely torn off; shrapnel dotted the grounds, crushing more Jawas and becoming buried underneath the sand.

Luke, who had made his way up to the Sandcrawler from the beginning, looked around and shook his head. Connan joined him, studying the footprints left behind.

"It looks like the Sand People did this, all right." Luke sighed. "Look, there's gaffi sticks, bantha tracks, I've just never heard of them hitting anything this big before." He ran a hand through his hair roughly.

"No, it wasn't them." Connan shook her head. "The Sand People wouldn't annihilate the Jawas like this; they would cart them off as slaves."

"We're meant to think they did." Obi Wan observed.

"Look, the tracks are side-by-side." Carth pointed with one hand and rubbed the sweat off of his forehead with the other. Mission snapped her fingers.

"Oh! And Sand People ride single file to hide their numbers!" She finished.

"I don't get it," Luke paced. "These were the same Jawas who sold us R2 and 3PO."

Obi Wan grabbed Luke's shoulder and spun him around to the burning Sandcrawler. "And these blast points, too accurate for Sand People." He cast a glance at Connan. "Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise."

"_Imperial Stormtroopers?" _Connan thought.

"_Clones."_

Connan snarled.

Luke frowned. "But why would Imperial Stormtroopers want to slaughter Jawas?"

Then it clicked. He stared at a Jawa robe then his sight flew back to his two new droids, who were looking around aimlessly for any sign of life.

"If… if they traced the robots here, they may have learned who they sold them to and that would lead them back…." His face turned ashen and death-like. "Home."

Connan turned and bolted for the speeder, jumping in the driver's seat and cranking on the engine. "Get in."

Luke leapt into the passenger seat, and they didn't stop to listen to Obi Wan's cry of "Wait, Luke! It's too dangerous!" before Connan tore away from the Sandcrawler and northwest toward Luke's home.

**XXXXX**

"Let me drive," Luke said shakily. Connan pushed away his hand.

"No. I can go faster." Connan said, switching the gears and speeding the car up.

"It's not supposed to go that fast." Luke observed quietly.

"I know. I rigged it." Connan replied. "It handles like a swoop."

Connan rounded around a boulder and the moisture farm was in sight.

There was smoke.

Luke sat there for a minute, simply staring in disbelief. Connan nudged him and he shot out of the speeder. Connan followed.

"Uncle Owen?" Luke shouted. "Aunt Beru!"

The house had blaster shots burned into it, and a piece had been blown off. Connan saw the charred remains of Beru and Owen Lars just as Luke did.

It was impossible to tell who had been who. Both had been burned down to their skeletons. One lay over a large scrap of metal and the other lay stiffly facedown on the ground.

Connan ran to Luke and whirled him around, away from his aunt and uncle. He wrapped his arms around her and sobbed.

Connan let him. It was clear the Stormtroopers were long gone, and she was on constant alert for any signs of more. She shushed him and rocked him back and forth and adjusted her Revan Robes so they wouldn't be digging into either of them.

"It—it's not fair." He sniffed. "T-they had n-n-nothing to do—do with this!"

"Oh, Luke." Connan replied, rubbing his back. "They're Sith. The Sith don't care about who was involved and who wasn't. _You _had the droids, and they were involved by your extension."

Luke shuddered.

Connan sighed, pulling away. "Luke? Luke, look at me." Luke looked up. "Go wait in the speeder, okay? I'll salvage what I can."

Luke's eyes widened, and for the first time since Connan had known him, Luke looked afraid. "What if they're still here?"

Connan shook her head. "They're not."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've checked. And I'm checking right now. And I'll be checking until we get back to Obi Wan and the others." She pulled her cloak open and pulled out a blaster. "But you can use keep this with you if you want."

Luke took the blaster and gripped it like a lifeline.

"I'll be back in a minute." Connan patted his shoulder. "Go wait in the speeder."

The first thing Connan did was pick up Beru and Owen. Careful not to make them fall apart, she lifted them both up with the Force and carried them behind her. She carried them around to the other side of the destroyed hut, where Luke wouldn't see, and set them on fire.

Connan turned around and entered the house, holding her breath to keep from smelling the asphyxiating aroma. She stumbled around, wary of other things that might still be there, and picked up things she considered salvageable. There was some food that hadn't been burned much; she picked it up and carried it with her.

Everything else was charred. Blasters, vibroswords, and anything that could have been used as a weapon had been confiscated, no doubt. Connan sighed and continued into her room.

The room itself was destroyed. Her datapads were flung all around the room, with her bag unzipped and practically turned inside out. They must have searched through their stuff. Connan growled, calling her datapads and large bag to her to fix what she could.

She was very shocked to see no actual damage to the items. True, they were dusty and filthy, but Connan's bag had no flame damage and the datapads were still working properly.

She shrugged, not willing to argue the point with herself at the moment. She shoved the food into the bag along with her datapads and felt around the room for anything else.

Connan left the house a few minutes later, after searching through Beru and Owen's room for money. She'd found quite a lot. Stuffed around the room in small corners, behind the dresser, holding up the bed posts, she found almost four hundred credits altogether in the room.

Luke looked up as Connan threw the bag into the back of the speeder, jumped in, and sped off.

"We're going back to Obi Wan before he started to worry too much." She told him.

He simply nodded, too numb to speak.

**XXXXX**

Connan turned off the speeder and both of them jumped out.

Carth and Mission had been helping Obi Wan clean up, apparently. Mission carried over a few robes to the smoldering pile of remains and added them to the bunch. Carth picked up pieces of metal scraps and placed them in piles.

Connan followed Luke toward Obi Wan. Carth and Mission set down what they were doing to huddle around and listen.

"_What's the story?" _Obi Wan asked.

"_They were dead. Charred to a crisp, though I think they were dead before that. There were blaster scorings on their skulls. They'd been dead a while, since there was no one in sight when we got there."_

"_Was there anything left?"_

"_Our bags were untouched—unsurprisingly. They were thrown all over the place, meaning the Stormtroopers must have searched the house before they burned it and went through our things, but other than that the only thing I could come up with was some food with very little burn."_

"_That'll do."_

"There's nothing you could have done, Luke," Obi Wan admitted out loud. "Had you been there. You'd have been killed too, and the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire."

At first Luke didn't say anything. He simply looked up at Obi Wan's face and stared. Then he opened his mouth. "I want to come with you guys to Alderaan."

Connan checked her sigh of relief.

"There's nothing for me here, now." Luke continued. "I want to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi like my father."

Connan cringed.

"_Well, that he most certainly will _not _do."_

She could see Obi Wan stifle a small snort. It would be taken the wrong way at the moment. He simply nodded and herded Luke back toward the speeder.

"We've got to get to Mos Eisley so we can get transportation." Connan explained, sitting in the driver's seat. Obi Wan sighed and pushed her over. "Hey! I wanted to drive."

"Yes, but _I _would like to stay alive for a little longer." Obi Wan replied, taking the controls and turning on the speeder. Carth and Mission jumped in after settling C3PO and R2-D2 in.

**XXXXX**

"There it is," Connan pointed over the cliff they'd stopped to eat on and toward the huge city down below. "Mos Eisley spaceport." She chuckled. "Wow, it never _does _change, does it?"

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." Obi Wan declared.

"He's never lived on Taris, then." Mission whispered.

"Or Nar Shadaa," Connan replied in the same tone.

"We'd better be careful nonetheless." Carth cautioned.

"Let's get going." Obi Wan turned on the speeder and they set off again.

They sped through the spaceport quickly. Connan could feel the Stormtroopers around them, slowly gaining in numbers and surrounding them.

"We're going to have company up there." She called.

Luke frowned. "How do you know?"

"There are Stormtroopers: five over there," She nudged her head to the right. "And three over there." She pointed left. "Not to mention the inspection point straight ahead."

Luke gawked. "How do you _know _all of this?"

Connan grinned. "Practice. I'll teach you once we're safe in the air."

Luke mimicked her grin.

"Be prepared to lie." Carth whispered as Obi Wan pulled to a stop. Six Stormtroopers surrounded their speeder, blasters set already.

"How long have you had these droids?" One asked.

Luke frowned in thought. "About three or four seasons."

"This one's ours." Connan happily supplied, linking arms with Carth and pointing to C3PO. "We bought him to help us try and understand Bocce, but something went wrong with his wiring. I think the vocal mechanisms might have welded together the last time he set off sparks, which must mean that his—"

"That doesn't matter, honey." Carth whispered urgently. He turned his grin up to the Stormtrooper. "He's up for sale, if you want him."

"Hmm…." The Stormtrooper thought. "Let me see your identification."

Obi Wan waved his hand. "You don't need to see their identification."

"Oh, we don't need to see his identification." The Stormtrooper replied instantly.

"These aren't the droids you're looking for." Connan added for good measure. "You've heard that they might be hiding out in the Dune Sea, toward the south."

"These aren't the droids we're looking for," The Stormtrooper copied. "But we've heard they might be hiding out in the Dune Sea, toward the south."

"They can go about their business." Obi Wan continued.

"You can go about your business."

"Move along." Obi Wan stated.

The Stormtrooper backed up and waved his blaster. "Move along."

Obi Wan didn't need to be told twice. He sped the speeder up and raced away.

When they parked at the cantina the Jawas instantly set to work appraising their speeder. Connan twitched her head to one side, and gave the Jawas a small shock whenever they touched their ride.

"Go on, go on." Luke shooed him away. He sighed and turned back around. "I can't understand how we got past those troops. I thought we were dead for sure."

"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded." Obi Wan explained.

Luke nodded, clearly not understanding. Connan sighed. "It's sort of like putting and idea into someone's head. Only those who are strong-minded and can think for themselves will put the idea aside and think of another one."

"Do you use it often?" Luke asked.

Connan barked out a laugh. "You wouldn't believe how much money we saved by using that at all the ports we stop at."

"Do you really think we're going to find a pilot in there that'll take us to Alderaan?" Luke gestured to the cantina where they were entering.

Obi Wan looked on at the building, examining it. "Most of the best freighter pilots are to be found here. Only watch your step. This place can be a little rough."

"I'm ready for anything." Luke replied as they entered the cantina.

"_I'll bet." _Connan thought to Obi Wan.

"_You guys look after him, I'll find us a pilot." _Obi Wan retorted. Connan nodded.

There was an immediate difference when they stepped completely into the bar. The inside of the cantina was completely different from the outside world of Tatooine. It was dark, cool, and there was an easy lounge song played by the Bith band up front. Connan grinned and made her way in.

She, Carth, and Mission sat down at the bar. "Give me your strongest." Carth stated to the bartender.

"I'll take a juma juice." Mission held up a hand.

"I—" Connan cringed. "I don't think I'll have any, thanks."

Carth whirled on her in an instant, his hand on her forehead. "Are you all right?"

Connan batted his hand away irritably. "Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're denying alcohol."

Connan shrugged. "Well, _someone _has to be sober enough to drive home."

Carth blinked, but before he could venture on the bartender was back with their drinks and Connan had turned to Luke, who had just sat down on the empty chair next to her.

"What took you so long?" She asked.

Luke sighed, completely exasperated. "I had to send the droids out. They're not allowed in here." He tugged at the bartender's sleeve. "Uhh… I'll have one of those."

Connan shook her head and looked around. "I don't suppose there would be people playing pazaak in here."

"Why? So you could lose what money we have left?" Carth challenged.

"No, to keep me occupied." Connan stuck her tongue out.

"Connan, this place is giving me the creeps." Luke said, shivering and looking around.

Connan grabbed his arm and hauled him around right. "Don't look around like you're nervous. Act tough and stick to yourself and those you came with. Don't stare. It's rude." Luke looked down at his drink quickly.

Not quickly enough. Someone whirled Luke around to face them. A blue Aqualish humanoid stared Luke in the face and growled.

Luke, who couldn't understand Aqualish, turned back around and ignored him. Connan bristled.

Someone else tapped Luke's shoulder. A human with an ugly scar on the right side of his face stared at Luke menacingly.

"He doesn't like you."

"I'm sorry." Luke replied.

"I don't like you either." The man said. The large, blistery scar creased and wrinkled as the man spoke. "You'd better watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have the death sentence on twelve systems."

Luke restrained from rolling his eyes. "I'll be careful."

Connan cringed. That was _definitely _the wrong thing to say. The man grabbed both of Luke's shoulders and tugged.

"You'll be dead!"

"All right, that's enough." Connan interrupted, gripping the man's arm and sending a large shock through it to get him to let go. He cried out and jumped backward. "Picking a fight with a kid? That's definitely below someone like you, with your death sentences and all. Come; let's get you two a drink, hmm?"

The human stood there and thought for a second before he threw Luke backward and into a table. The Aqualish pulled out a blaster and aimed it at the fallen boy.

Connan reacted instantly. Her lightsaber was out and she sliced off the Aqualish's arm at the elbow. She placed her foot firmly on the human's chest and leapt upward, pushing her weight off of the human to go up. Her second foot collided with his face.

They both hit the ground at the same time, crying in pain.

"Now your face might look a little more even!" Connan called as they hurried out, whimpering in pain.

The cantina turned silent as they looked on at Connan in shock. She retracted her lightsaber and looked around.

"What are you looking at?"

Everyone turned back around and resumed their conversations. The Bith band began playing their music again. Connan helped Luke up, a smile on her face as if she didn't just rip someone's arm off.

"You all right?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Luke replied, rubbing his head.

Obi Wan came out of nowhere, a Wookie behind him. "I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?" He asked.

Connan shrugged. "Sorry. I forgot to turn my danger magnet off."

Obi Wan laughed and waved her off. "Anyway, Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us."

Connan's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

The Wookie held out a hand, signaling they were to sit at that specific table. Connan shrugged and wandered over. "So you're really Chewbacca?"

It was hard to tell through all the fur, but Connan could tell he was frowning. **"I am. May I ask who you are?"**

Connan scoffed. "What kind of luck is _this_? I'm Connan Frai. I believe we share a friend named Jolee Bindo."

The frown was wiped off of Chewbacca's face, and his eyes lit up. **"Ah, so **_**you **_**are Connan Frai! Jolee used to talk about you all the time."**

"Good things, I hope."

"**Mostly about how you always talk about how old he is and how much you whine."**

Connan grinned, cocking her head. "Yes, that does sound like him."

Connan ignored the stunned look on Obi Wan's face, and the completely agitated sigh that Luke let out as he ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Unbelievable. How many people _does _she know?"

"**How is he these days? Last I saw him he said something about **_**going home**_**, but I don't know what he meant."**

"He's perfectly fine. His wound has healed completely—_finally_—and he spends his days talking about this tree, that tree, that Sith, this Sith; he talks nonstop."

"**Yes, that sounds like him, too."**

Before Connan could reply Chewbacca looked up and scooted over a bit on his side of the booth. A man sat next to him. He adjusted his jet-black vest and held out his hand. Connan could see he'd been at work. His plain white shirt was soaked with sweat.

"Han Solo. I'm captain of the _Millennium Falcon_." Obi Wan reached his hand out and shook it. "Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan System."

"Yes, indeed. If it's a fast ship." Obi Wan challenged.

"Fast ship?" Han's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You've never heard of the _Millennium Falcon_?"

"You'll have to excuse me on that one," Connan held a hand up. "I've been gone for almost twenty years, and that makes me a bit behind on the current hype."

"It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs." Han explained.

Silence.

"I've outrun Imperial Starships." Han boasted. "Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you, I'm talking about big Corellian ships, now." Connan nodded in approval, so he went on. "She's fast enough for you, old man. What's the cargo?"

"We are." Carth cut in. "Four humans, a Twi'lek, and two droids."

"No questions asked." Obi Wan stressed.

"What is it, some kind of local trouble?" Han laughed.

Chewbacca nudged him and spoke quietly. **"If Connan Frai is with the group, it definitely isn't **_**local **_**trouble."**

Han glanced at Chewbacca curiously before staring back at Obi Wan.

"Let's just say we'd like to avoid… Imperial entanglements." Connan replied.

Han leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. "Well, that's the real trick, isn't it? And it's going to cost you something extra."

Connan silenced her apprehension over the cost and swallowed.

"Ten thousand credits, all in advance."

Connan sighed.

"Ten _thousand_?" Luke asked, outraged. "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"

"But who's going to fly it, kid?" Han asked, grinning. "You?"

Connan elbowed Carth to keep him from saying anything.

"You bet I could, I'm not such a bad pilot myself." Luke argued. "We don't have to sit here and listen—"

Luke made to stand up. Mission grabbed his arm and yanked him back down.

"We can pay you two thousand now." Obi Wan haggled. "Plus fifteen when we get to Alderaan."

Han pursed his lips, thinking. "Seventeen, huh?" Obi Wan nodded. "All right. You've got yourselves a ship. We'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking Bay 94." The man's eyes flashed and he smirked. "Looks like someone's taking an interest in the woman's handiwork."

Connan looked back as everyone else did. Stormtroopers blocked the entrance, and a few were talking to the bartender, who pointed straight to the table.

Connan turned back around casually, as if she hadn't seen anything. "All right, we'd better get out of here. Expect us soon."

"**Take the back exit. The door is right there." **Chewbacca pointed.

Obi Wan rose quickly, nodding his thanks. The rest rose and bolted.

**XXXXX**

**Hi guys! How was your week? I had the whole week off from band, since we worked so hard this last whole month. It felt nice to be able to sleep in until six thirty. I'm definitely not a morning person.**

**I don't really have much to talk about this week, except I'd like to mention that Halloween is next Friday and I have a **_**football game**_**! Maybe I'll dress up for it.**

**I'm in chapter 21 and I'm 0:49:52 of the way through. So I'll see you guys next week. Please review!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	8. Fattened Form, Consecrated Host

_"__**Hast thou no answer, dost thou spurn me so,  
Fattened form, my consecrated host?  
Not slain upon the altar, nay alive  
Thou shalt feed me, and now shalt hear a chant  
Which binds thee fast unto my purposes."  
**—**Eumenides**_

**Chapter Eight: "Fattened" Form, "Consecrated" Host**

Connan left the cantina with the others, feeling oddly off-balanced. She wondered why she felt so light at the moment.

"You'll have to sell your speeder," Obi Wan warned Luke, breaking Connan out of her thoughts.

"I can get someone to give you a really good price for it," She interjected. "Just don't make it a Toydarian. I might kill it."

Obi Wan gave her a pointed look that stated she would _not _get anyone to give them a really good price. He knew she meant "force-them-to-think-it's-worth-more-than-it-is-and-scramble-for-money-and-by-the-time-they-realize-that-it's-fake-they're-gone." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's okay; I'm never coming back to this planet again." Luke declared, shrugging.

"Connan," Obi Wan turned to the woman. "Go back and stay with Han and Chewbacca. Not that I don't trust them; I would just rather be safe than sorry if someone decided to attack them."

Connan grinned. "Me? Spend time with a scoundrel like him?" She winked at Carth (who looked rather mistrustful of sending her off alone with someone like _Han_) before flouncing off. "But of course!"

Carth growled.

**XXXXXX**

Han was just leaving the table when a Rodian stopped him, blaster aimed at Han's chest.

Connan sighed inwardly. _Why can't we ever find the _lucky _helpers?_

"**Going somewhere, Solo?" **The Rodian asked in Huttese.

"Yes, Greedo." Han chuckled nervously. "As a matter of fact, I was just on my way to see your boss. Tell Jabba that I've got his money."

"**It's too late." **The Rodian sat as Han did. **"You should have paid him when you had the chance."**

Connan pulled a small mine out of her bag and walked up to the table, bumping into the Rodian rudely and attaching it to the front of his arm, out of his sight but well in Han's. She took a seat next to Han and crossed her arms.

"Did I miss something, Han?" She asked nonchalantly.

Han didn't blink. "Not at all, sweetheart. You remember Greedo, don't you?"

"Oh, yes! One of Jabba's bounty hunter's, right? It's been ages!" She grinned.

Greedo, for one, looked totally and completely taken by surprise for a moment. Then he recollected himself and replied. **"It's nice to see you again, too."** He turned to Han again, and Connan could have sworn that if Rodian's didn't have that strange puckered mouth, Greedo would have been grinning. **"Jabba's put a price on your head so large that every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you." **He chuckled humorlessly. **"I'm lucky I found you first."**

Han leaned back, crossing his legs over the table and resting one arm across the bench. "Yeah, but this time, I've got the money."

"**If you give it to me, I'll forget I found you." **Greedo compromised.

Connan sighed exasperatedly. "He doesn't have it _with _him. He's not an idiot, I don't think." Han mock-scowled at her.

"Tell Jabba—"

"**Jabba's through with you." **Greedo explained. **"He has no time for smugglers who drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial Cruiser."**

Han really did scowl this time. "Even I get boarded sometimes. Do you think I had a choice?"

Connan could see Han reaching for his gun out of the corner of her eye. She draped her legs across the rest of the bench, clearing the way underneath the table and keeping her legs out of harm's way.

"**You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship."**

Whoa, now. That was the _last _thing Connan needed.

"Over my dead body." Han said it before Connan could.

"**That's the idea." **Greedo cocked his blaster. **"I've been looking forward to this for a long time."**

"I'll bet you have."

Greedo fired a shot in between Connan and Han. They both moved their heads out of the way and Han shot from underneath the table, taking Greedo by surprise and shooting him in the gut. Connan Force Pushed on the mine and lay a shield over the two of them, blowing the rest of Greedo to bits but keeping the Jedi and the scoundrel safe.

"That was a little excessive." Han murmured.

"At least this way we know for sure he's dead." Connan replied. "I've had too many people come back alive on me."

Han stood and Connan followed suit. "I'm supposed to follow you around to make sure you and your Wookie are safe until we're ready to leave."

"What makes you think I can't take care of myself?" The man asked, staring hard at her.

"Well, I've heard that you dumped a whole load of cargo at the first sign of an Imperial Cruiser." Connan's grin stretched her whole face. At Han's insulted expression she burst into laughter.

"All right, sweetie," Han agreed. "You can come. But stay close. If things get rough I don't want you in my way."

Connan snorted. "I don't think _I'll _be in _your _way."

**XXXXX**

When Han found Chewie and led Connan into the right docking bay, she noticed the ship, first.

It was _beautiful_. It was missing a few parts, and the color was different, and surely the interior would be different, but Connan could see the _Ebon Hawk _in it. She stared, now glad she had read the books Luke had about machines in the era when they had nothing to do for those few days they were stuck with Owen and Beru.

Oh, it had Modified Corellian Engineering Corporation AG-2G quad laser cannons, which were _much _more qualified than the _Hawk's _simple turbolasers and quad laser cannons. She squinted toward the top, and held back a squeal as she actually saw a concealed BlasTech Ax-108 "Ground Buzzer" surface-defense blaster cannon. Oh, her _Hawk _was stuck with _photon torpedoes_, which sounded like a corny holovid name from ignorant people trying to make a good outer-space show.

She wanted to _mess _with the ship.

But then she looked around and noticed that they weren't alone in the room. There were in fact many people huddling around the ship, their entire attention centered around the giant slug in the middle.

"**Solo!" **The Hutt screamed. **"Come out of there, Solo. **_**Solo!**_**"**

"Stop screeching." Connan covered her ears.

"I'm right here, Jabba." Han called. Jabba turned around and sneered at his smuggler. "I've been waiting for you."

"**Have you now?" **Jabba turned around and cocked an egotistical eyebrow. He laughed.

"You didn't think I was going to run, did you?" Han smirked

_Hah. _Connan thought. _He probably was. They caught him._

Jabba shrugged and turned his gaze to Connan, who fixed her face with the meanest glare she could. **"And who is this?"**

"There's nothing wrong with a smuggler having a girlfriend, is there?" Han asked, slinging an arm around Connan and pulling her close. She worked not to tense or look annoyed.

"My name is Connan Frai. If your pet Kath Hounds mess with me they'll be spread out on the ground in a paste before they can scream." She declared.

Jabba stared at her for a moment, shocked, before he burst into laughter. **"Han, I like this one. She's got some bite to her."**

"I can do more than bite." Connan murmured, loud enough for only Han to hear.

Han chuckled, removing his arm and moving forward to Jabba. "You didn't come here to talk about my taste in women, I don't think."

Jabba raised a quizzical eyebrow and started. **"Han, my boy, you disappoint me. Why haven't you paid me, and why did you blow up poor Greedo?"**

"Technically," Connan stepped forward, into the ring of thugs surrounding Jabba and Han at the moment. "_I _was the one to blow Greedo up." When everyone stared at her in disbelief she shrugged. "My mine might have _accidentally _stuck to his arm. And I _might _have _accidentally _set it off."

"Look, Jabba, next time you want to talk to me, come see me yourself. Don't send a twerp even the _sweetheart _over there can kill." Han pointed incredulously over to Connan, who was ignoring the pet name he'd chosen for her.

"**Han, I can't make exceptions." **Jabba put his arm around Han and began slithering away from the ship. Connan followed closely. **"What if everyone who smuggled for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial Starship? It's not good business."**

Han whirled on Jabba, stabbing his index finger into Jabba's slimy skin. "Look, Jabba. Even I get boarded sometimes." He made a circle around Jabba, stepping on his tail deliberately and making him cry out. Connan shoved back a laugh. "You think I had a choice? But I got a nice, easy charter."

"**Is your girlfriend part of it?""**

Han ignored the scathing comment. "I'll pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need a little bit more time."

Jabba smiled ruefully at Han and patted his back. **"Han, my boy, you're the best. So, for an extra twenty percent—"**

"Fifteen Jabba."

"**Do you need to keep some to keep your girlfriend around?"**

"Don't push it."

Jabba shrugged. **"Okay, fifteen percent." **He leaned in close. **"But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big; you won't be able to go near a civilized planet."**

In the middle of this threat, Han placed an arm around Connan's waist and practically dragged her toward the ship. The bodyguards around them watched keenly for any sudden moves.

"Jabba, you're a wonderful human being!" Connan called from Han's side.

Jabba growled. **"For your sake, Han, I hope her dancing is better than her beauty."**

Connan shrugged. "I've danced for a Hutt or two before."

Jabba seemed surprised, but he didn't act on it. He turned and threw a hand in the air. **"Come on!"**

The guards filed out after him, one by one, but one of them stayed behind to survey Han and Connan on the ramp.

Connan frowned. She couldn't see the man, because he was in an armor, but the armor itself looked familiar.

"Recognize anyone?" The man snarled.

"I've killed a lot of bounty hunters in my time. You'll excuse me if I'm a little sluggish."

"Boba Fett." Han rolled his eyes. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Connan groaned. "Are you _kidding _me? You're a _Fett_? _Boba _Fett? I don't remember a _Boba_ Fett, I remember—"

"Jango Fett?" Boba cut in.

Then Connan remembered.

"_It took four times to kill the last Fett I've been up against. The only way to really know if they're dead is to cut off their head. And I think even when I did __that __he still came after me. The Fetts mean business."_

"_Apparently he's keen on keeping to tradition; he wanted his own unaltered clone for himself." Obi Wan added._

"_Oh, boy. That's going to complicated things sooner or later." Connan chided. _

She smirked. "I remember now. You're Jango Junior. Literally."

The man in the armor growled. "I am Boba Fett, Jango Fett's son."

Connan grinned. "Jango Fett doesn't have a son. Jango Fett has a—"

"_Son_, damn you, _son_!" Boba aimed his blaster rifle at Connan. "And you will _pay _for what you did to him!"

It was the first time Connan had been in actual danger since she found out—well, since they came back from the future. She didn't appreciate it.

"What did you do to Jango?" Han asked curiously.

Connan shrugged. "I cut off his arm."

Jango Junior growled menacingly. Connan shrugged.

"And his head."

Han and Chewbacca, who had somehow slipped inside the ship, laughed.

"_You're _the one who killed Jango Fett?"

"Unless he can function without a head, in which case I would like to know how he does that."

Boba roared in anger and fired.

Connan reacted without thinking. Her eyes widened and she used the Force to deflect the attack and send it back.

The blaster shot hit the blaster rifle and melted it. Boba dropped it the exact same moment that Han and Chewbacca burst into uproarious laughter.

"Oh, I knew there was a reason I agreed to this mission." Han was grinning like mad. "Come on, we have to tune up the ship.

Boba looked like he was going to kill someone. He probably was. "Don't you—"

The ramp closed.

**XXXXX**

Carth and Mission followed Obi Wan and Luke through the streets, with the two droids lagging behind. They'd just sold the speeder and, much to Luke's dismay, were considerably underpaid for their work. They got a fourth of its value, because of the new models out that everyone wanted.

Carth felt completely uneasy. Something was wrong. This wasn't his paranoia talking, either. That uneasy feeling crept along his heart, making him doubt people he shouldn't doubt. This feeling started in his spine, and burned a hole straight through to his chest.

He was being watched.

Not just him, though. _Everyone _was being watched. He didn't know who, or where, but he knew the feeling.

He was quick to voice his concerns. "If we're going to be leaving, I suggest we do it quickly."

Obi Wan seemed to catch on. His stride became longer and quicker, which Carth quickly mimicked. Mission and Luke had to jog to keep up with them. "If the ship is as fast as he's boasting, we ought to do well." He commented.

Chewbacca met them at the entrance to the docking bay.

"**It's nice to see you all again." **He said cordially. **"Connan has been having a blast with our ship."**

Carth laughed. "She loves machines."

Chewbacca led them to the _Millennium Falcon_. Carth was impressed. He might not be able to look at a piece of equipment and automatically know what it is, but he could sure tell what they were used for.

Luke couldn't. "What a piece a junk!" He cried.

Han, who was underneath the ship, started. "She'll make point-five past light speed."

Connan leapt off from the top of the ship to the bottom, landing swiftly. "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

"I've made a lot of special modifications myself." Han continued. "And this genius over here made even _more_." He clapped Connan on the back. "You know, if you'd _told _me you had a tech genius with you I would've said yes a lot quicker."

"Yes, well," Carth frowned. He reached over to Connan and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Look, we're a little rushed." Han left off. "So if you just get on board, we'll get out of here."

"Rushed?" Carth whispered into Connan's ear.

"It seems we've come across a smuggler in debt to a Hutt." Connan grinned as Carth chuckled, blowing air onto her neck. "A Hutt who has a Fett working for him."

Carth tensed. "A Fett?"

"I'll explain later."

The doors blasted open, and Stormtroopers piled through the door.

"Stop that ship! Blast them!" One yelled.

"Get inside!" Connan shouted, unleashing her lightsabers and leaping over to the center of troopers.

"We don't have that kind of time!" Obi Wan called back. "Incapacitate them quickly!"

Connan dodged around a blaster shot as she backpedaled. Obi Wan was helping Han off of the side of the ship.

The Stormtroopers formed a semicircle around her. Shouts of "surrender!" and "drop your weapons" rang through her head. She turned her sabers off and replaced them.

This was the second time today someone had threatened her life. And at the moment, it wasn't just _her _life they were threatening. The thought enraged her more.

Connan raised her hands in the air and tensed them. Her fingertips tingles as electricity pumped through her hands, past her gloves, and out into the open air. As she brought her hands back down, the bolts grew in size.

The Stormtroopers, obviously confused at this point, hadn't fired a shot. They stared at Connan warily, ready at a moment's notice to fire.

Connan spun in a complete circle, swinging her arm out to her sides and raking them through the air. Full lightning gushed from her hands and to the troopers. She raised her hands up again and slashed them back down through the air. The lightning lifted them up and threw them backward.

By now Carth had made it to Connan. He grabbed her hood and began dragging her back to the ship. The ramp closed as soon as they made it through and they were off.

"Chewie, get us out of here!" Han shouted.

Carth dragged Connan through a hallway and sat her down on a chair next to Obi Wan, who handed her a glass of water. Mission rubbed her shoulders.

"Wow, Connan. You really messed them up." Mission commented.

"That was not wise." Obi Wan reprimanded. "Not only was that a decidedly Dark act, they will tell their Master what you have done."

"No they won't." Connan said. "They're all dead."

Obi Wan blinked. "What?"

"They threatened me. I killed them. End of story." Connan said, smiling. "I didn't appreciate having multiple blasters aimed at me."

"Oh, my, I'd forgotten how much I hate space travel." C3PO murmured to no one.

"Wait. Connan, how did you do that?" Luke asked.

Connan didn't answer. She crossed her arms and sighed.

The ship began jostling around as they broke through the atmosphere into space. For a minute nothing happened, and there was an awkward silence.

"Do you think there's a chance they aren't following us?" Mission asked.

"Not even the slightest." Carth replied.

Connan closed her eyes and reached out with her awareness. "They're following us, all right." She stood and made her way to where she guessed the cockpit was.

"Stay sharp." Han ordered. "There are two more coming in. They're going to try to cut us off."

Luke came up behind Connan quickly. "Why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast!"

"Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home." Han warned.

"We'll be safe enough when we can jump to hyperspace." Connan interrupted.

"Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose them."

"I bet I have a few tricks that aren't used anymore, too." Carth replied, slipping in behind Chewbacca.

"What?" Han asked skeptically.

"Hey, he's a pilot, too." Connan admitted. "If he has an idea, at least consider it."

Han smirked and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Carth glanced at Connan and then to Han. He shook his head and watched the screen.

The Imperial Starships going after them began firing. "Here's where the fun begins," Han murmured.

"How long before you can make the jump to light speed?" Obi Wan asked.

"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer." Han replied.

"That's not enough time." Mission said.

"At the rate they're gaining, we'll never get those moments!" Luke cried.

"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy." Han snarled. "Without precise calculations, we'd fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova, and that would end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"

An alarm beeped. Luke lunged forward. "What's that flashing?!"

Connan slapped his arm away. "If you don't know it, don't touch it!"

"We're losing a deflector shield." Han answered. "Go strap yourselves in. I'm going to make a jump to light speed."

Luke and Obi Wan left, taking Mission with them. Connan and Carth strapped themselves into the two seats behind the pilots.

As usual, the jump to light speed made Connan's stomach flip. And in her current position, that was _not _a good thing. Connan held her breath to stop the urge to throw up from becoming too strong.

But a few seconds more pulled them out of light speed, and Connan's stomach settled down again. She took a deep breath and unlatched herself.

"We're clear of the starships." Han informed. "And we should be fine. For the moment." He took a good look at Connan. "Now, want to explain what the freaky lightning was about?"

Connan smiled invitingly at him. "Not really." She replied, completely stumping him for a reply. She stood. "I'm going to check on the others." She grabbed Carth's hand and wandered out.

She missed Han Solo's appreciative look as she left, but Carth didn't.

**XXXXX**

**It took me so **_**long **_**to update today. I have enough time to take a shower and go to bed. I did too much today for my own good.**

**There's nothing really to talk about. Our football team made it to the playoffs undefeated again this year, a full 10-0. The band is completely tired of football, and we can't wait for them to lose so we can stop wasting our Fridays.**

**Oh yeah. If you were wondering about where I got the italicized quote about Boba and Jango from, it's from my Attack of the Clones. I forget which chapter. **

**I'm on chapter 26 and I'm 00:57:00 of the way through.**

**Have a good week and review!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	9. Waves of Death

"_**At night the sea began to rise in waves of death."**_

—_**Agamemnon**_

**Chapter Nine: Waves of Death**

"So," Luke sat down and crossed his hands behind his head, laying one leg on top of the other. "When will I be able to shoot lightning out of my hands?"

"Not for a while." Connan grinned, sitting on a bench in front of a dejarik board. Carth sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and huffing tiredly. Mission leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "It stings like the dickens the first time you do it."

"Not _ever_." Obi Wan contradicted. "It is a very Dark ability, and I would not have you use it for anything."

"Then why did Connan use it?" Luke asked. "She doesn't _look_ Dark."

"Oh? And how would _you_ know what Dark looks like?" Connan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Trust me, when people make the distinction between Dark and Light, you quickly learn that the differences are not in the features, or in the abilities, but in the mentality."

Luke blinked. "I don't follow."

Connan frowned, leaning backward into the bench. She crossed her legs and scratched her head. "Say… I need to get past some Gammoreans. Say I need to get to the hostage they were holding inside the sewers."

Mission snickered.

"All right," Luke nodded.

"Say I don't want to waste the time of killing them the long way, because if I took too long then it would take even longer to break into that Swoop Gang base and steal that prototype engine."

"What would be so bad about that?" Luke asked, frowning.

"Well, winning the opening swoop race to win the hostage Jedi would have been _really _exhausting, and we might not have gotten off the planet on time because I was busy sleeping."

Luke gave her a disbelieving look, chuckling along awkwardly with a howling Mission and a laughing Carth.

Carth laughed one more time before taking in a deep breath. "Okay, he gets it."

"So, if I was fresh out of grenades or mines, and I had the Force, I could just paralyze them by choking them and cut them down while they were thrashing around." Connan finished. "Quick and easy."

"And that's the Light way to use a Dark power?" Luke asked. "Okay, so what's the Dark way?"

"Choking a defenseless person slowly to death because they couldn't pay their debts."

Luke blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

"Those are pretty distinct."

Connan shrugged again. "They're not all polar opposites of each other. Sometimes a Jedi is aggravated and just wants to be out of the fight, so they pick the quickest way. Sometimes someone did something to someone a Sith loves, and in their anger they do things they wish later they hadn't."

"And some people exercise the self-control needed to avoid such troubles altogether." Obi Wan snapped.

"Self-control and suppression are often synonymous."

"What's so bad about that?" Luke asked.

"I don't like getting the headaches that come with suppression."

Carth shook his head. "Stop fighting. It's going to take us three days to get to Alderaan, and if you're like this the whole time I think I'll go crazy."

Obi Wan shook his head. "We should get started on Luke's training, at any rate." He pulled a small remote-like droid out of his pocket and turned it on. "We'll start with how to handle the lightsaber."

**XXXXX**

Connan sat next to Han in the cockpit, being unable to sleep any longer. She'd woken up sick to her stomach, and after stumbling her way to the refresher, wandered into the cockpit to find Han still awake.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked as she sat down next to him.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I saw your rather impressive dash to the refresher. Do you get sick in the middle of the night often?" He replied.

"Nowadays," Connan replied. "It's become sort of a habit for me."

Han sighed. "And why didn't you go back to sleep after?"

"Can't."

"Insomnia?"

"Something like that."

Silence for a few minutes. Then: "You've been going to the food replicator off and on all day today."

Connan glanced sideways at him. "I'm a hungry woman."

Han smirked. "Are you sure?"

Connan looked at Han and said nothing. The man took the hint and changed the subject. "So really, how _did _you make the lightning come out of your hands?"

Connan shrugged. "I don't know the mechanics of it." She replied. "I think that I just pull the static around me into my hands and blow it out onto someone else."

Han laughed. "Okay. Now how did you _really _make the lightning?"

Connan sighed. "You think I used an implant or a sleight of hand or something?"

"You had to. You expect me to believe that you could actually make lightning by yourself?"

"I don't know," Connan grinned. She reached out with the Force and gripped onto Han's blaster. "That depends on what you believe about that floating blaster."

Before Han could respond she yanked the blaster out of its holster and hung it limply in the air.

Han stared, open-mouthed, and waved his hand above and below it, checking for strings. Connan rotated it around his head once and bobbed it up and down. Han reached out to grab the blaster from the air, and it landed right into his hand.

Han gawked. "How did—what—how was that—"

"Whoo!" Connan stretched. "Suddenly I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow, Han."

She left before he could get another word out.

**XXXXX**

Three days later Obi Wan finally turned on the remote's firing system, and taught Luke how to use the Force to see its next moves.

Connan helped too, putting in opinions and other suggestions where needed. She often wandered around the ship aimlessly, and spent a lot of her time in the cockpit with Han and Chewbacca (who liked Connan so much he told her to call him Chewie).

This day Connan sat with Mission and Carth in the main hold, watching Luke follow the remote around with his saber.

"No, you're far too tense." Connan called. "Loosen up. Your moves will be too jerky if you're so wound up during a fight."

"Something is _firing _at me," Luke growled. "There's _reason _for me to be tense."

"No, there's reason to be _alert_." Obi Wan corrected. "Keep your senses open."

Luke nodded, shaking his shoulders out and trying again. He stared at the remote with determination.

And the world exploded.

There was a shrieking in Connan's ears, deafening her. She covered her ears, but the loud screaming was in her head, and closing her ears seemed to make it even louder.

She dropped to the floor as her chest welled up in sudden pain. Beside her, she could somehow hear Carth cry out to her, and hear Luke ask of Obi Wan was all right.

And then it was gone.

Carth had picked Connan up when she collapsed and was now seating her back on the bench. She opened her eyes and stared at him.

"Carth."

Carth sighed in relief. He leaned his forehead onto her chest and breathed.

"What happened?" Mission asked. "What that your Force Precognition again?"

"No." Obi Wan answered for her. "That was _definitely _not Precognition."

"It felt like someone was screaming in my head." She shook her head. "No. Not someone. _Millions _of someones."

"There has been a great disturbance in the Force." Obi Wan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "As if a million voices suddenly cried out in terror."

"The next second the voices were gone." Connan finished. "Something bad has happened. I know it."

Carth pulled his head up and sat beside Connan, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap. She went with only a small cry of surprise, but settled down nicely enough.

"You'd better get on with your exercises." Obi Wan reminded. Luke went back to the remote and the lightsaber.

Carth waited until Luke was focused on the remote until speaking quietly. "What do you think it was?"

"Think?" Connan scoffed. "I _know _what that was. I was on Malachor when it was destroyed, you know, and the destruction of Katarr was only a couple hundred lightyears away from us at the time."

Carth stiffened. "You don't mean—"

"That a planet was just destroyed? Of course I do." Connan replied. "What I want to know is who destroyed it, and why."

"You don't want to know what was destroyed?"

Connan huddled closer to Carth. "No. I have a sickening feeling that I already know which one it was."

Carth opened his mouth to add more, but Han strode into the room, looking proud of himself. He took a look at Connan—pale, wrapped up in Carth's arms—and blinked. "You look terrible, sweetheart. You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Here." Han completely ignored her, handing her a packet of food. "I was going to give that to you, anyway. It'll settle your stomach."

"But I'm not hungry." Connan replied as she opened the packet and bit into the cookie-like food inside.

Carth sighed.

"Well," Han said as he sat down beside Obi Wan and crossed his legs. "You can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs. I _told _you I'd outrun them."

Luke deflected an attack from the remote. Obi Wan rubbed his cooling forehead and watched silently. Carth worried over Connan, who was busy eating the food Han gave her (which, though she would never admit it, did settle her stomach a little). Mission had long ago gone over to watch R2-D2 and C3PO play dejarik against Chewbacca.

"Well, don't everyone thank me at once," Han drawled. "Anyway, we should be at Alderaan about 0200 hours."

Connan crumpled up the package that used to contain food and set it onto the table next to them. She stood up from Carth's lap and made her way toward Mission, who was watching the droids battle the Wookie in dejarik.

"Now, be careful, R2." C3PO cautioned. R2 beeped at him to _"be quiet"_ and moved.

R2's monster killed Chewbacca's, and the Wookie cried out angrily.

"Careful, guys." Connan warned.

"He made a fair move." C3PO defended. "Screaming about it can't help him."

"I'd let him have it." Mission grinned. "It's not too wise to upset a Wookie."

"Why not?" 3PO asked. "No one ever cares about upsetting a droid, ma'am."

"That's because a droid don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose." Han replied.

Connan laughed. "Hah! Too true."

"Wookie _are _known to do that." Mission advised.

Chewbacca folded his arms behind his head and looked smug.

"I see your point." C3PO replied. "I suggest a new strategy, R2. Let to Wookie win."

Chewbacca added in something to the remark along the lines of **"yeah, listen to him,"** and made another move.

Connan's attention switched back to Luke, was started blocking shots from the remote. He reacted a second after the remote did, and often barely deflected the attacks. For a long while the remote just bobbed up and down, skidding from place to place to make Luke jump.

"Remember," Obi Wan started. "A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him."

"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked, not taking his eyes off the remote.

"It's more give-and-take than that." Connan explained. "It is there to do what you will with it, but if you listen to it, it will show you your path and guide your movements."

Finally it whirled around behind him and shot him in the butt.

Han laughed, leaning back into his chair and slapping his leg.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." He stated.

Connan snorted, causing Han to give her a _look_. They still hadn't talked about Connan pulling his blaster away from him and hanging it in midair. He probably spent his waking moments wondering how she did it.

"Is it too much to ask for both?" Connan asked.

"You don't believe in the Force, do you?" Luke asked, restricting his lightsaber and standing straight.

"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field controls my destiny."

Connan grinned. "You'd be surprised."

"It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." Han said, looking straight at Connan.

She shrugged. "If you say so. That would make most of my life—and this very moment, convolutedly—a simple trick." She looked back at Carth. "Maybe we're just sleeping right now?"

He grinned. "We haven't even packed yet to leave Atris' Jedi Academy."

"Oh, she's going to be mad at us." Connan shrugged. "Oh well. We'll just trick her into unconsciousness and be on our way when we wake up."

"And nonsense our way off of Telos!" Mission replied. "Because Brianna will not like your tricking Atris off to sleep like that."

"Hmm," Connan rubbed her chin. "We'll have to trick our way over to the other side of the galaxy pretty quickly, or somehow break through Brianna's trick-free mind and nonsense her into unconsciousness, too."

"If anyone can trick Brianna into unconsciousness, it's you, you trickster." Carth joked, kissing Connan on the top of her head.

"Yes, I _am _the Master Trickster, aren't I?"

"My head is swimming." Han held his hands to his head to show how confused he was at the moment.

"I suggest, Luke," Obi Wan changed the subject tersely, "that you try it again." He pulled a helmet off of the wall and brought it to Luke. "This time, let go of your conscious self…" he placed the helmet over Luke's head. "And act on instinct."

Obi Wan left the blast shield down, blocking Luke's vision.

Luke chuckled in disbelief. "With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you." Obi Wan replied. "Don't trust them."

At Luke's incredulous scoff Connan shook her head. "Your eyes are simply slower than your instinct, and people tend to lean on their vision more than their instinct. You can't do that if you're a Jedi, who survive more on their instinct that they do on their vision."

Luke shrugged and unsheathed his father's lightsaber, holding a fighting position.

Connan was almost overwhelmed with the memory of seeing Anakin with that same lightsaber, pointed at the droids and enemies on Geonosis. More recently, she was struck with the memory of it being pointed at her.

With a shudder Connan looked away.

Luke stood still in front of the remote, unable to see, and cried out in frustration when the remote shot him again.

"Stretch out with your feelings." Obi Wan explained.

Connan had a completely new debate she was ready to start on, based on the phrase "stretch out with your feelings" and the Jedi teaching that "feelings should be controlled". Whoever made the two and indicated they should be ideal Jedi teachings must have been insane. There's no way someone could control their feelings as they stretched them outward to feel other things away from them. It was simply too complicated.

Connan refrained from starting the debate, however. She had to think that maybe such debates—which she and Obi Wan had held often enough—were what helped Anakin fall in the first place. Those conflicting thoughts in his head must have helped Palpatine convince Anakin to fall to the Dark Side.

And Connan's anger swelled up again.

She hadn't thought about Palpatine for a while, really. She was too busy thinking about other things, like what they were going to do when they reached Alderaan, and trying to get Luke to understand the concept of instinct over vision.

Even now she pushed her mind away from it, focusing instead on Luke as he tried once again to deflect the remote's blaster.

The remotes bobbed up and down in the air before firing a few shots.

Luke twisted the lightsaber in his hands and deflected each one perfectly.

Connan grinned somewhat forcefully. "You see? You can do it."

Han gawked. "I call that luck."

"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." Obi Wan countered.

"There better not be, because then I'd have the worst luck in the _world_!" Connan joked. Carth grinned, tugging her close.

"Look," Han droned. "Good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living, that's something else."

The computer in the main hold began beeping, and tore everyone's attention away from the growing argument.

"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." Han said.

"Already?" Connan frowned, following Han into the cockpit.

"Stand by, Chewie. Here we go." Han took his seat in the pilot's chair and began pressing buttons. "Cut in the sublight engines."

Han pulled them out of hyperspeed, and the _Millennium Falcon_ began jostling around roughly.

"What the—"

"I'm going to be sick!" Connan clamped a hand over her mouth.

"**Where are we?" **Chewbacca asked.

"There shouldn't be an asteroid field here!" Connan said, controlling her stomach.

"It's just a meteor shower. There's probably been an asteroid collision." Han checked his star map. "It's not on any of the charts."

Connan paled. "Carth—"

"What's going on?" Luke asked, storming into the cockpit with Obi Wan behind him.

"Our position's correct, except there's no Alderaan." Han explained.

"Carth."

"What do you mean? Where is it?" Mission asked.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there. It's been totally blown away." Han replied.

"What? How?"

"Carth!"

The cockpit grew silent finally as people all glanced at Connan.

"If they knew we had the droids, and they knew what was in the droids, and where we got them from, then what would stop the Empire from figuring out where we would be heading with them?"

Han gave her a pitying look. "The entire Starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet."

Carth grabbed Connan's shoulder and squeezed tightly.

"It would take a thousand ships, with more firepower than—"

A loud beeping interrupted him. "There's another ship coming in."

"Maybe they know what happened." Luke suggested.

"If they do, they're no friend of ours." Connan said acidly.

"It's an Imperial fighter."

Just at that moment the _Millennium Falcon _took a hit.

Lake gawked. "It followed us!"

"No," Connan shook her head. "That's a short-range fighter. It's been waiting for us."

"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?"

It raced off in front of them.

"It sure is leaving in a big hurry." Luke boasted.

"Or it's leading us away." Connan suggested.

"If they identify us, we're in big trouble." Mission pointed out.

"Not if I can help it. Chewie, jam its transmissions." Han ordered.

"You might as well let it go, it's too far out of range." Obi Wan suggested.

"Not for long." Han growled.

"Can we think for just a minute?" Connan asked. "Call me paranoid, but why would a fighter be this far away from any sort of port?"

Han ignored her, instead speeding along after the starfighter.

Connan sighed. "All right. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"No, she's right." Obi Wan agreed. "A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own."

"Thank you!" Connan clapped him on the back appreciatively.

"He must have gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something." Luke theorized.

"Well, he ain't going to be around long enough to tell anybody about us."

"Look at him. He's heading for that small moon." Luke pointed.

"I think I can get him before he gets there. He's almost in range."

Connan froze, placing her hand on Han's shoulder and digging her nails into his clothes.

"Han. There _are no moons _around Alderaan." She said loudly.

"It's a space station." Obi Wan continued.

"It's too big to be a space station." Han said before looking up to study it.

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Luke murmured.

"We need to leave." Connan said. "_Now_."

"Turn the ship around." Obi Wan ordered.

"Yeah. I think you're right. Full reverse! Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power."

Nothing happened.

"Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power!"

Still nothing happened. Chewbacca growled in frustration.

"What are we still moving towards it?!" Luke cried.

"We're caught in a tractor beam. It's pulling us in!" Han answered.

"There's got to be something we can do." Mission pleaded.

"There's nothing to do about it." Connan replied. "He's already at full power."

"I'm going to have to shut down." Han said, turning around to mess with more buttons. "They're not going to get me without a fight."

Carth's grip on Connan tightened. The closer they got, the more familiar that space station looked to him.

"Connan," He whispered. "That's the ship I hacked into the last time we were here."

Connan nodded. "I know." She felt sick. "What did you say they called it?"

"A Death Star."

Connan shuddered.

"You can't win." Obi Wan stated as they got even closer. "But there are alternatives to fighting."

"Right." Connan agreed. "This is a smuggler's ship, right? There have to be hiding spots for us."

Han looked at her incredulously. She went on. "If you find us a spot to hide, I can make sure we're not found."

**XXXXX**

**Hi, guys! Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving!**

**This shouldn't have taken so long to update on, really, but my computer is virus-ridden, and I had to completely move my mini-office into the living room where everyone passes and the keyboard is big and awkward and the misspellings are driving me CRAZY.**

**We won another game in our football playoffs, damn it. We're going to Abeline this Friday. Hopefully we'll lose **_**there**_**.**

**Oh, yeah, and it's my brother's 18****th**** birthday today! Everyone has to say Happy Birthday to him, because when he goes off to college this summer I get his room. YES!!**

**Anyway, I'm 1:05:23 of the way through, and I'm on chapter 28. Please review, and I'll see you next week!**

**_Amme Moto_**


	10. No Fighting the Strong

**_"You increase your troubles when you breed  
War in your gloomy soul;  
There's no fighting the strong."  
_**—_**Electra**_

**Chapter Ten: No Fighting the Strong**

Han ushered everyone into the hallway, where he immediately started pulling apart the floor.

"Under here." He stated. "This is usually used for mass storage, but it'll fit all of us."

"It'll keep us safe from their eyes, but what is there to stop them from using scanners?" Luke asked.

"You let me deal with that." Connan ordered. She turned to C3PO. "You first."

"What?" C3PO gasped. "Hide down there? Ma'am, it's _filthy_."

"I'm not going to argue with a droid about this." Connan barked, calling a lightsaber out and igniting it. She held it to C3PO's chin. "Either you get in there quietly in one piece or you'll get in there quietly in _many _pieces."

C3PO took a look at the hole in the ship and back to Connan. "I believe you're right. It _is _the safest place to hide."

"Smart. Help him down." Connan said, sheathing her saber and putting it back. She and Han grabbed both sides of 3PO and lowered him down.

"Wait a minute. How will we know when it's safe to come out?" Luke asked. "How will you keep us from being detected?"

"Never mind. Just get in!" Connan shoved a Luke, who took the hint and jumped down into the space.

Mission and Chewbacca jumped in after and helped Obi Wan get down before Han and Carth jumped in.

Connan grabbed R2-D2 and pushed his forward a bit. "All right, R2. Here you go." She held onto his head and pushed him off the side, where Han and Carth caught his feet and set him down.

Connan leapt in last, dragging the floor with her and settling it back in place.

"Keep still." She ordered. "Don't make a sound."

She closed her eyes and focused. Her mind's eye opened up and she started layering a cloak onto the hidden occupants.

"_Close all outboard shields." _Rang around them. The ship jerked as it landed, jostling Connan's cloak around a bit. She stretched it out over everyone, putting an extra few layers of Luke and Obi Wan, who would be more easily noticed than others because of their Force affinity.

As had happened in Atris' Jedi Academy on Telos, an extra wave of Force bounded around them. This time she was ready. She grabbed onto it before it could do any harm—like add another layer to the shield she'd made and hurt someone—and forced it outward.

It felt strange, doing two things at once and still having leftover energy. She could keep control of the buffer around them and keep track of the people outside the ship, monitoring who came in and who came out so they would know when it was safe to move.

Connan made a sweep around the large hangar they were in with her mind, counting the number of Stormtroopers. There were many of them, actually. They stood straight and silently while they were given orders.

Then someone else stormed into the room, someone she hadn't felt for months, though she supposed _years _would be the term to use in this era. She felt him immediately, as remnants of her old bond formed a weak link between the two of them.

It was _Ani. _He was _there_. She could feel him, she knew it was him; the familiarity of his Force was no mistake.

Yet, it _wasn't _Anakin. His thoughts were constantly on hateful things, and his entire aura was red-tinged. He walked briskly and roughly, as if he neither needed nor wanted any leisure time of his own to let off steam. He basked in his anger and hatred, and other ugly things that twisted people into machines of evil.

This wasn't Anakin Skywalker, Connan realized. Anakin Skywalker was dead. No, this was someone new. This was Darth Vader.

Connan whimpered.

"What is it?" Carth whispered.

Connan shuddered, wiping the cold sweat that had suddenly come across her forehead. "Vader." Her voice nearly cracked while saying the name and she stopped to clear her throat silently, giving Carth enough time to look completely horrified. "Vader's here."

Carth's arms went around Connan and he tugged her close.

"Old friend?" Han whispered.

"Something like that." Carth replied.

"Will he be able to find us?" Obi Wan asked.

"If he stays outside the ship, no. If he comes on, I'll have to add another layer." Connan stated.

Obi Wan nodded and remained silent.

The ramp opened and the Stormtroopers started filing through, checking all the rooms, going through all the files, checking the navicomputer; going through everything they could to try and find life.

It was a good thing Han kept everything on ghost files, where the information was counted as lost unless Han wanted to pull it up. Connan was suddenly thankful that she'd had the sense to keep her things with her at all times, so they couldn't find her lightsabers and start getting crafty in their searching.

The men walked right above them a time or two. Connan kept as still as anyone else, simply breathing in the air and trying to keep calm. As of yet, Vader hadn't tried to make an appearance on board, but that might only be because he felt something strange about him and needed time to investigate it before he went into an unknown ship.

Finally, after ten minutes of fruitless searching, the Stormtroopers left. Connan didn't move still, causing the others to keep as silent as she. Connan reached out farther, so she could actually see what was going on outside, instead of just listening to the Stormtroopers report to their leader.

Connan didn't pay attention to how many Stormtroopers she saw. She was focused on Vader. She wasn't sure what she had expecting, because the last time she saw Anakin, he was trying to kill them and he had been practically burned alive, but she knew she wasn't expecting the large black costume. She could feel the wires and machines attached to him, keeping him alive. He really _was _more machine than man. His torso and his head were the only two things on him that were truly his. Connan cringed as she remembered why everything else wasn't.

But still, Vader looked intimidating. His breathing mask was a large helmet, and made deep suction noises as he inhaled and exhaled. _Inhale, exhale._ It also changed his voice; she could tell that if he spoke, it wouldn't sound like the Anakin Skywalker she remembered. It would sound like a darker, hateful Darth Vader.

The leader of the group of Stormtroopers nodded at his regiment and turned to Vader.

_Inhale, exhale._

"There's no on aboard, sir. According to the log, the crew abandoned ship right after takeoff." The leader reported.

Connan cast a glance at Han. He must have kept that in his original files, just in case something _did _happen to them on the way. Smart move. She gave him a quick smile.

Han smirked back, but she could tell he wasn't too sure about what she was smiling for.

"It must be a decoy, sir." The leader continued. _Inhale, exhale._ "Several of the escape pods have been jettisoned."

Connan frowned. She never even remembered to _check _the escape pods.

_Inhale, exhale. _"Did you find any droids?" The actual voice of Darth Vader startled Connan for a moment. It was brash, angry, yet strangely mechanical. She scoffed. He was going all out to sound completely robotic.

_Inhale, exhale._

"No, sir." The leader answered. "If there were any on board, they must also have been jettisoned."

"Send a scanning crew aboard." Vader ordered. _Inhale, exhale. _"I want every part of this ship checked."

The leader bowed. "Yes, sir."

_Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale._ Vader looked up at the ship and turned his head, studying the whole thing. Connan could practically see his thoughts crease; he was on the edge of figuring something out, and he wasn't sure what it was.

For good measure, Connan sank a bit deeper into the cloak. _"I never thought I'd see the day when I was hiding from Anakin." _She thought.

"I sense something," Vader mumbled. Connan tried not to react to the words. "A presence I've not felt since…."

Pain bit a Vader's thoughts, causing him to stop his sentence. He turned and stormed out.

"Get me a scanning crew in here on the double." The leader ordered. "I want every part of this ship checked."

Connan finally pulled the cloak completely off, breathing in a breath of fresh air.

"He didn't find us," She reported. "He thought he found something for a second, but he walked off. He didn't try to find us."

Obi Wan grimaced. "What now?"

"They're sending in a scanning crew. We can take them out easily enough without getting caught."

"Well, let's get out of here before we make and finite plans." Han stated, pushing the floorboard up and looking around warily.

"Boy, it's a good thing you had these compartments." Luke said as he handed R2-D2 to Han and they pulled him out.

"I use them for smuggling." Han answered. "I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them."

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have many escape pods," Connan said. "They checked those. It's one of the reasons why they don't think there's anyone here; there are practically no escape pods on this ship at all."

Han shrugged. "I tend to think ahead on some things." He held out his hand and hoisted Connan up. Then he shook his head. "Hiding on my own ship. This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past that tractor beam."

"We'll just have to shut it off, then." Connan shrugged, grabbing onto Mission and pulling her up.

Carth lifted himself upward and turned around to help Obi Wan. "I suspect Connan already has an idea?"

Connan simply grinned.

"Leave the tractor beam to me." Obi Wan insisted.

"Damn fool, I knew you were going to say that." Han groaned.

"Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool that follows him?" Obi Wan retorted.

Connan barked out a laugh. "Too true." She nudged Mission. "Mish, you go with him." Connan saw Obi Wan about to protest and cut him off. "She's the best stealth person in the galaxy, trust me. She can stay out of sight just as easily as you can, and she's a great fighter."

Chewbacca threw C3PO out of the hole before jumping out himself. He shut the floors back up and stretched.

"She won't be in the way?" Obi Wan asked, inspecting Mission.

"In the way?" Mission asked, clearly insulted.

"No," Connan interrupted them both from starting an argument. "She won't be in the way at all. She's great with machines, too."

"Yeah," Mission cut in. "So if you need help with taking down the tractor beam, you just say the word and I'll get right on it!"

Obi Wan nodded. "All right. Come along, but don't get lost."

Connan clapped Mission on the shoulder. "And don't die on us."

Mission, who had read Connan's datapads and had been there to listen to Donella, Bastila, Jolee, _and _Carth gang up on her about keeping the getting-home-by-dying plan a secret for such a long time, knew what she was talking about and laughed.

"Please, Connan. I'm not nearly as old as you are. A simple little mission isn't going to kill me."

**XXXXX**

Connan and Carth made short work of the two people scanning the ship. They knocked their heads together and knocked them out instantly.

"Hey down there!" Han called down the ramp to the two waiting guards. "Could you give us a hand with this?"

The two Stormtroopers shrugged and trotted up the ramp into the ship.

Luke clocked one on the head, and the other took a swing at Connan before Han slammed his fist into the man's helmet a little too roughly, knocking the man completely out and bruising up Han's hand.

Luke and Han put on the two Stormtrooper outfits. Connan had to laugh. It became extremely apparent just how short Luke was when he put on the huge armor; it practically engulfed him. She held a hand in front of her mouth to keep from giggling.

"Well," Han stated. "We've got half a plan. Now what?"

Connan grinned. "You stay here," she instructed Luke. "And we'll make our way down to the control room. Once we're inside join us."

Luke groaned. "Why do _I _have to stay here?" He asked.

She ignored him. "Stand here and act like you have a bad transmitter. When they open the door to fix it, we'll surprise them and take them out. It's simple, really." She winked.

"All right." Luke conceded. "But you owe me."

Connan smirked. "Right."

**XXXXX**

It wasn't all that hard, really, to get a group of their size up to the control room. There weren't that many people playing guard, and the control room itself only had one window to look into the hangar with. So long as no one looked out that window, they were fine.

Connan and Carth stood directly in front of the door, with Han in Stormtrooper mode behind them and Chewbacca next to him. Behind all four of them stood Obi Wan and Mission, who were discussing tactics on getting to the tractor, the two droids listening aimlessly.

When the door opened, Connan had her sabers out and cut down the man standing in front of her. Carth pulled out a blaster and shot the man on the other side of the room at the desk.

Connan entered the room and looked around. She tuned out Chewbacca's roaring; they were just victory cries, and besides, she needed to concentrate on where the power console to the tractor beam was. She pushed the dead man out of the chair and sat in it herself.

"R2," She said. "Go to work."

As the droid set to the task of finding the tractor beam controls, Luke came in and sealed the door. "Between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here."

Connan snorted. "Bring them on." She held her hands out to her sides. "I've been itching for an actual fight."

"I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around." Han agreed.

R2-D2 beeped.

"We found the computer outlet, sir." C3PO translated.

"Hack into it." Connan ordered. "He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial network."

R2-D2 plugged into the computer and got started. He kept beeping and talking to himself, mostly numbers to remember and sequences he would have to backtrack.

Finally, he started beeping actual sentences again. Connan nodded to R2-D2 even before C3PO translated it for the rest of them.

"He says he's found the main controls to the power beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor.

Neon green images flashed along the square black screen in front of them.

"The tractor beam is couple to the main reactor in seven locations." C3PO explained. "A power loss at one of these terminals will allow the ship to leave."

Obi Wan sighed. "I really don't think you guys can help." He admitted. "I will go alone. I'm sorry, Mission."

"Whatever you say." Han shrugged. "I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

"Aww, but I _want _to go with you!" Mission whined.

"No," Obi Wan shook his head. "Stay here. This isn't just about the tractor beam anymore."

Connan sighed. _"It's about Vader, isn't it?" _She thought to him.

He simply nodded.

"All right." She conceded aloud. "Make your peace with him and return to us as quickly as you can. Mission, let him go alone."

Mission folded her arms and huffed, but she moved out of the way.

Obi Wan saw the look Luke was giving him and shook his head. "You've got to stay here and watch over the droids. They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan." He put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "You destiny lies on a different path from mine."

Obi Wan unsealed the door and looked at Luke. "The Force will be with you always."

Connan felt the overwhelming need to hug Obi Wan. She ran toward him and flung her arms around him. He snorted, but hugged back.

"Good luck, you damned old man." She whispered.

Obi Wan pulled her back and gawked at her, amused. "You're older than _me_, you know."

Connan grinned. Obi Wan patted her on the head and left.

Chewbacca placed his hands on his hips and growled.

"You said it, Chewie." Han agreed. "Where did you dig up this old fossil? Why did he say _you _were older than _him_?"

"Ben is a great man." Luke said defensively.

"Yeah, great at getting us into trouble." Han spat.

"What makes you think this is _his _fault?" Connan asked.

"I didn't hear _you _give any ideas." Luke replied.

"Well, anything's better than just hanging around, waiting for them to pick us up." Han growled.

Luke gawked. "Who do you think—"

R2-D2 beeped loudly, interrupting everyone. He began chanting the same thing over and over.

"**She's here! I found her!"**

"What? Found who?" Connan asked, rushing over to the little droid.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir." C3PO replied. "He says 'I've found her' and keeps repeating 'she's here.'"

"Who, R2?" Connan repeated.

"**Princess Leia."**

Connan stood. "Where?"

"Princess Leia." C3PO answered Luke.

"The princess? She's here?" Luke asked.

Connan slapped her forehead. "Well, if _this _isn't irony, I'm not exactly sure what is."

Carth agreed. "We should get her away from Vader."

Han sighed, shaking his head. "Princess? Don't tell me. She's another old friend of yours."

Connan shook her head. "I was there when she was born, is all. Carth and I both were."

"Where is she?" Luke asked.

"What's going on?" Han asked when people started ignoring him.

R2-D2 beeped, and a few seconds later C3PO translated. "Level five, Detention Block AA-23."

"**Oh, no." **R2-D2 beeped. **"They've got her scheduled to be terminated."**

Connan's anger flared so quickly she didn't even hear the golden droid's translation. She turned and gathered up her bag. Carth and Mission followed her.

"Oh, no!" Luke gasped. "We've got to do something!"

"What are you even talking about?" Han drawled, throwing his hands into the air.

"The droids belong to her." Luke explained. "She's the one in the message. We've got to help her."

"Now look," Han growled. "Don't get any funny ideas. The old man wants us to wait right here."

"That's right." Connan replied. "You guys stay here. Carth, Mission and I will take care of this."

"But Connan, he didn't know she was here!" Luke pleaded. "If he knew he wouldn't have told us to stay here." He turned to the droids. "Just find a way back into the detention block."

"He told _you _to stay here." Connan retorted. "He can't tell _us _what to do."

"Any why not?" Han asked.

Connan's eyes glinted. "We're in a category all our own."

Han crossed his arms and shrugged, sitting down at the chair. "Well, I agree. I'm not going anywhere."

"They're going to execute her." Luke implored.

"Not if I get to her first." Connan replied.

"Wait, Connan. Please." Luke asked so politely, Connan huffed and crossed her arms, waiting. "Look, a few minutes ago you said you didn't want to just wait here to get captured." Luke continued. "Now all you want to do is stay?"

"Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind." Han snapped back.

"But they're going to kill her!"

"Better her than me."

Luke paused. "She's rich."

Chewbacca growled enticingly. Han slowly turned back around to face Luke. "Rich?"

Luke nodded. "Mmm-hmm. Rich, powerful; listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be…." Luke stopped to think of a number.

"Be what?"

"Well, more well than you can imagine." Luke challenged.

"I don't know," Han smirked. "I can imagine quite a bit."

"You'll get it."

"I better."

"You will."

Connan couldn't help herself. She let out a small laugh. Mission and Carth shared an amused look.

"Not bad, Luke."

"All right, kid. You'd better be right about this." Han grumbled.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Connan waved a hand in the air. "If you really don't want to go, Mission, Carth, and I will do just fine. Trust me."

Han groaned. "Well, I guess I can't leave _you _to fend for yourself out on the entire ship. I'm sure you won't let yourself get hurt, but I just don't want to take the chance." He stood, ignoring Carth's dark looks and Connan's frown. "All right, I'm in. What's the plan?"

"Um…" Luke looked around before placing his gaze on a pair of handcuffs. "Ah! 3PO, hand me those binders, there." C3PO picked up the heavy golden cuffs and handed them to Luke. "Okay, now…." He walked up to Chewbacca. "I'm going to put these on you."

Chewbacca threw his arms in the air, out of Luke's reach, and roared.

"Okay…." Luke shrugged. "Han, you—you put these on him."

"Calm down, Chewie." Connan said. "It's all right."

"Yeah," Han agreed, pulling at Chewbacca's wrists and fastening the links around them. "I think I know what he has in mind."

"Master Luke, pardon me for asking, sir, but what should R2 and I do if we're discovered here?" C3PO asked as Connan finally ushered Carth and Mission out the door. Han and Luke followed, pulling a chained Chewbacca along with them.

Connan shrugged. "Hide?"

"Lock the door." Luke suggested, slipping his Stormtrooper helmet back on.

"Fake being a Sith droid and tell them where we went?" Mission stated.

"Hope they don't have blasters." Han agreed.

Chewbacca growled in agreement.

"That isn't very reassuring." C3PO grumbled as the door sealed shut behind them.

**XXXXX**

**Well, I'm done for today. How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do anything interesting? I saw three movies, three days in a row! I saw Bolt (cute) on Tuesday, Twilight (Not too horrible) on Wednesday night, and Role Models (I laughed so hard I almost threw up) on Thursday, Thanksgiving! **

**Friday we had a football game in Abeline, three our four hours away from where we live. Because they're cheap on the band, we had to take the regular school busses. THAT wasn't fun at all. We won, though, 55-15, and we're facing Stephenville next week again (we beat them last time with something like 69-3), but we don't know where for the quarterfinals.**

**I'm going to go see Twilight again today, because my friend wants to see it and I'm not adverse to seeing it twice. It's not like I paid for it the first time, right? Lol.**

**I have region for my music this Wednesday. If I get in I'll do a jig and call my old band director, and then rant about it in next Sunday's chapter. Wish me luck! Please?**

**I'm on chapter 31 and I'm 1:12:30 of the way through. Come back next week!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	11. Smile Upon Your Disasters

"_**You smile upon your disasters. Can it be that you  
**__**Someday will illuminate the darkness of this song?"  
**_—_**Trojan Women**_

**Chapter Eleven: Smile Upon Your Disasters**

"**I don't like this. I really don't like this. I can't **_**tell **_**you how much I don't like this." **Chewbacca chanted softly. Han gripped one of his arms tightly, playing the role of Stormtrooper. In his other arm he gripped onto Connan, who also had a pair of cuffs around her hands, which were shoved behind her back.

On Chewbacca's other side marched Mission, also chained and being gripped by Luke. Connan couldn't really say she appreciated someone manhandling her friend that way, but she kept her silence; if Mission was uncomfortable with it, she'd gripe until the assailant listened or until Connan knocked his head around.

Carth stood on the far right side, the farthest from Connan. It had been Han's idea to go with that specific pecking order, and at the moment, Carth wasn't too sure if he should consider this a jab against him or not.

He had to admit, he didn't like seeing Connan and Han buddy up together like they had been. Deep down, he knew Connan meant nothing by it, that Han simply interested her and she was happy to have another friend to joke around with. But he also saw the was Han's glances took an interested gleam at times, as if he were contemplating something that Carth would rather him leave alone.

This would, of course, spur on Carth's jealousy. And the only way to curb his jealousy was to pull Connan close to him and remind himself that _nothing was meant_.

But when he did that Han would smirk and say something witty, or hand Connan something that she needed but wouldn't tell anyone.

That was another thing that bothered Carth. Ever since they'd arrived at the Academy back on Telos, Connan had become much more secretive. _She _knew something, and _Mission _knew it, too, but they weren't letting on about it. She was staying away from her favorite drinks and the foods she usually liked were sickening to her. Was she still sick? Was it messing with her appetite? He just wished they would tell him so he didn't have to keep guessing. He didn't like it when people kept things from him in the first place, but when it came to Connan and her wellbeing, he was rather insulted by being kept out of the loop.

He made a promise to himself to make Connan explain what was going on at the next free moment they had.

A small cleaning droid rolled in front of their entourage and beeped at them questioningly, pulling Carth away from his thoughts and back to reality.

Chewbacca barked at it. **"Go **_**away**_**!"**

The cleaning droid backed up and hurried away, beeping frantically.

"**Jeez, it's bad enough that I have to wear these demeaning **_**chains**_**, like I'm a common **_**slave**_**, but to have simple machines staring up at me like I'm a **_**prisoner**_**, I should just—"**

"Chewie, shut up." Connan and Han said at the same time.

"**Sorry."**

The next corridor they turned into was extremely crowded. People in spiffy black uniforms—hair cut in a buzz-cut, posture straight and perfect, and boots that were newly shined every morning, no doubt—strode around as if they had purpose. Connan brushed each other their minds and laughed. Most had something to do. Some were walking around simply to enjoy walking. Very select few were out because they were headed back to relax in their quarters.

"_In a ship this big," _she thought. _"It's a wonder they can get to their rooms before their shift starts again."_

They were being escorted by Stormtroopers. They were not going to be stopped, because nothing looked strange. Still, just to be safe, Connan targeted every mind that looked at them questioningly and gave it other thoughts to think about. One man who was going to ask them where they were heading suddenly remembered he had to go call his wife and check up on his children. Another man realized he was late for a meeting and bolted. Someone else who had nothing else to do simply fell straight to the floor, dead to the world. As the people around him stopped to check the man over, the group of six picked up the pace.

They stopped in front of an elevator and Han pushed the button. The group waited calmly, staring at the people passing by and sometimes snorting with laughter at the strange helmets the lower-class soldiers wore.

Finally the door opened and Han and Luke ushered the four "prisoners" in.

"I can't see a _thing _in this helmet." Luke admonished.

The elevator shut and Han bent over, letting out a sigh. "I thought we were caught for good a few times back there. People kept coming up to us but kept turning away."

Connan grinned. "Strange, wasn't it? It was like they all remembered they had other things to be doing at the moment."

Connan couldn't see because of the helmet, but she was sure that Han had his eyes narrowed.

"Except that last guy."

Connan grinned. "Yes. That was surprising, simply fainting in the middle of the hallway." She shrugged. "Maybe he didn't have anything else to do."

"It's a good thing it wasn't anything serious," Han continued, trying to cross his arms and grunting when he realized the armor wouldn't let him do it. "Like if he had a seizure."

Connan nodded seriously. "Or if he choked on something."

"Tripped over the air."

"Broken his leg."

"How could that have happened?"

"He could have stepped on it wrong."

"That can lead to broken legs?"

"Oh, definitely, if the leg strength was disproportionate to the upper body weight."

"Intriguing. And this would have happened?"

"It's definitely possible. He looked like the type that can break a leg by stepping on it. Maybe it's a good thing he simply passed out."

Han laughed. "Huh. Maybe."

Luke sighed and shook his head. "Connan, I don't understand you."

And this was _exactly _was Carth was talking about. These cute, witty repartees with each other were what Carth considered _flirting_. And though he couldn't see Han's face at the moment, he knew Han considered it that, too. Carth was going to have a _long _talk with Connan after they got off of the Death Star.

**XXXXX**

After the small troop of Stormtroopers marched away, Obi Wan came out of hiding. He slipped down the hallway and into another hole, looking around for anyone who could spot him.

Obi Wan drew his head back in and stayed still as a tall man, decked out in a black cape and helmet, stomped past. His deep breathing (_inhale, exhale) _wandered past Obi Wan, who closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

He knew this man. This was Darth Vader, the one who Connan was telling him about. Obi Wan had never seen the final look of his old Padawan, even the times when he'd been forced to leave Tatooine to help others; he had neither seen nor heard any mention of the man. But still, this was Darth Vader, once called Anakin Skywalker.

He knew in his heart that what he was to expect could not be good. He remembered the last time he saw Anakin, he had cut off the last three of his limbs and the boy had caught fire. He knew—especially from the heavy breathing he was doing—that Vader was mostly machine now, and he had to stay that way to survive now.

But he wasn't expecting this.

The man's heavy boots clanked on the ground as he stomped past, and his breathing had been transformed into its own kind of intimidation. Obi Wan was willing to bet that if his old pupil spoke, he would sound more mechanical than human; sort of like that man Connan fought all those years ago on Geonosis. What was his name? Marvoy? Malak. That was it.

Obi Wan stood still as Darth Vader turned around and inspected the hallway. Obi Wan knew his old student must have felt him there. If he was found out now, he would be hard-pressed to fight Vader off and still pull the tractor beam down.

Scratch that. He would just be hard-pressed to fight Vader off.

Obi Wan was not the fighter he used to be. He knew it. He knew that his joints were old and creaky. He knew that his reflexes were not good at all. He was doing all he could just to teach Luke the basics to survive. He sometimes forgot to realize how much he relied on Connan's simplifications to help him teach a student again.

As Vader walked away, trying to recall what he was feeling, Obi Wan turned and snuck away. He wasn't far from one of the station, now.

**XXXXX**

"This is not going to work." Han stated, meddling with Chewbacca's handcuffs. Connan had already picked hers, Carth's, and Mission's, and laid them back so they looked cinched.

"Why didn't you say so before?" Luke hissed.

"I _did _say so before." Han stressed. "The galaxy's best Trickster over there talked us all into going."

Connan blinked. "Hey, we were going to go by ourselves."

"Which is why I had to go, too." Han stated, shrugging.

The doors behind them opened before Connan could tell him that she could take care of herself. Han and Luke pulled out their blasters as the four "prisoners" shuffled into the room.

The men in the room—all garlanded in black accessories, making Connan think that Vader had set a precedent with his own clothing—all turned to look at the group.

"Where are you taking these… people?" One asked, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Prisoner transfer from cell block 1138," Luke said, pointing to the Wookie. "The other three were found on our last shipment return. Stowaways."

The man interrogating them frowned. "I wasn't notified. I'll have to clear it." He waved behind him, and two men in gawky black helmets (Connan laughed at them inside her mind; who would wear something like that? It reached behind them and scooped down into a point at the neckline. The helmet itself was a deadly weapon.) approached the group, blasters out.

Chewbacca cried out and struck at one of them, letting his cuffs fall to the ground. Connan took the opening and whizzed past everyone, igniting her lightsabers and cutting down the three men in the back.

"Look out! They're loose!" Han shouted. He aimed his blaster at the man running for Chewbacca and shot him.

"He'll tear us all apart!" Luke yelled, handing Chewbacca his blaster and running for a computer.

Connan leapt into the air and destroyed two cameras sitting in a corner wall. She threw her saber to the other side, getting two more before calling her saber back. Carth shot out one, and Mission got the others.

Han headed for a computer and took off his helmet, dragging a body off of the beeping controls. "We got to find out which cell the princess is in." He looked around the screen. "Here it is. Cell 2187. You go and get her. I'll hold them here."

Luke turned around and walked off. Han pressed the beeping button and leaned over the console.

"Uhh… everything's under control here. Situation normal."

"_What happened?" _A voice asked.

"Tell them we had a weapons malfunction." Connan whispered.

"Had a slight weapons malfunction, but, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine now, thank you. How are you?"

Connan groaned. "You are the _worst _liar ever."

"_We're sending a squad up."_

"Uh, negative! Negative. We have a—a reactor leak here, uh, now. Give us a few minutes to lock it down."

"_Who is this? What's your operating number?"_

"That's it." Connan shoved at Han, pushing him aside. "Don't listen to him, officer. That's Sommers."

Carth frowned. "Who's Sommers?"

Connan shrugged. "It sounded good."

"_Soldier, Sommers is standing right next to me."_

Connan swore under her breath. "Not that Sommers, sir. New-Guy Sommers. The troops call him Donut. He's been here long enough to think that there's a reactor on every level, but not been here long enough to own up to his mistakes. You know the type, right?"

"_Indeed."_

"Anyway, there _was _a weapons malfunction. The idiot had his blaster on 'kill' and dropped it. These standard IB-27s just don't do well being dropped, sir, and it went nuts all over the room. We're lucky no one was hurt."

"_Sommers is lucky you don't report him to Lord Vader." _Connan gulped silently and the man went on. _"We're still going to send a squad up to collect damage lists and find out how much this is going to cost us."_

"Uhh…" Connan turned to Han. "I'm done with this."

Han shrugged, picking up his blaster and shooting the communication system. "It was a boring conversation, anyway. Luke! We're going to have company!" Han turned to Connan. "Go help him out, will you?"

Connan and Carth ran down the hallway to catch up with Luke. He looked to them when they came up and groaned.

"She's in there, but it's password locked." He informed them.

Carth grinned. "We can take care of that." He aimed his blaster and shot the keypad.

The door opened.

Luke was in first, followed by Connan and Carth. Luke stopped and stared at the woman who had just shot up in her bed—if you could call the metal cot that—and stared back.

Leia certainly looked a _lot _like Padmé. Her cheeks were a bit rosier, and she was shorter, but her eyes screamed defiance and her languid pose portrayed her apathy for her fate. Her hair—a chocolate down, darker than both her parents'—was so long that she had twisted it around her ears on both sides, making her seem like she was wearing large, furry earphones.

Connan thought it was all very pitiful for what she called a reunion. They were stuck inside a ship called the _Death Star_, being held captive by Connan's long-time friend and their father, and the two didn't even recognize each other. She felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" Leia asked Luke.

"Huh?" Luke asked. "Oh, the uniform." He took off his helmet. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you."

"You're who? Who're you're friends?" Leia leapt off of the cot and walked up to them.

Connan bowed. "Carth Onasi and Connan Frai, at your service, ma'am."

Leia gawked. Before she could reply, Luke jumped in again. "I'm here to rescue you. I've got your R2 unit. We're here with Ben Kenobi."

"Well, where is _he_?" She asked.

"Vying for our escape." Connan drawled.

"Come on!" Luke ushered her out of the cell and into the hallway.

"Get behind me! Get behind me!" Han yelled. Connan saw Chewbacca and Mission bolt past them, and Han backing up as the door was blasted through and the Stormtroopers started filing in.

"Go the other way." Carth said. They turned and ran down the hallway, with Han catching up.

"Can't get out that way." He said.

"Obviously." Connan crossed her arms, looking around.

"Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route." Leia snapped.

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness." Han retorted.

"Lesson one: There is _always _another escape route." Connan tugged at Leia's arm and yanked her aside, just as a blaster shot melted the metal behind her head. They bolted for cover.

Connan jumped out into the open, igniting both sabers and swinging them around as the blaster shots whizzed past.

"What are you doing?!" Leia asked.

Connan didn't answer. She sent a number of blaster shots back to the other side of the battle and was satisfied to hear a number of people hitting the ground.

"I'm keeping them away until you come up with a way out."

"There _is _no way out but the entrance!" Leia snapped.

Connan smirked. "Yes, there is, Highness. Think. Do people have to take the trash all the way down the elevator to another level?"

Connan couldn't see Leia's face because she was too busy fending off blaster fire, but the silence seemed to say that Leia was thinking about it.

She snarled as a shot grazed her arm. "That's it." She ducked back into a place and dropped her bag, opening it. "If you guys find a way out before I'm done, call me back." She took out a number of grenades and mines and placed them inside her robe pockets, suddenly glad that she hadn't changed out of her Revan Robed in a while.

"I'm going, too." Carth said, switching his blaster for a vibroblade.

"Me, too!" Mission replied, doing the same as Carth and grinning. "It'll be like old times, right?"

Connan laughed. "Ancient times."

Connan leapt down the hallway, into the fray, ignoring Luke's amazed gasp and Leia's cry of outrage. She spun around in a circle with her arms held out wide, slicing down the unprepared Stormtroopers. She blocked more blaster fire and cut down another man just as Carth and Mission made it in, killing a few more people on their own.

Swishing her hand around in the air, Connan used the Force to knock many of the men back into the wall. As they sat there disoriented she slashed through them.

Mission growled at the men still piling through the small opening in the door. "Just _die _already!" She shouted, kicking one in the chest and then stabbing him. She whirled around the next moment and cut off another's head.

Carth slammed into a man trying to get to Connan. He made quick work of the man and then turned about to face another. He butted his shoulder into this man and ran him through, accidentally catching another man as he pulled his sword out.

Connan took out a frag grenade and popped the pin. "Watch out!" She called as she threw it through the blasted door, giving Carth enough time to grab Connan and push her behind him, protecting her from the blast. The explosion knocked the Stormtroopers back for a moment, dazed, giving Connan enough time to drop multiple mines. She used the Force to pick up the bodies along the floor and lay them atop each other, forming a sort of wall, just in front of the mines."

"Let's get out of here." She said to the two of them. "Before those get set off."

As they got back, Luke was near panic.

"There isn't any other way out!" Luke yelled.

"What did you _do_?" Han asked.

"Made a wall." Mission replied.

"Of bodies?" Luke replied, raising an eyebrow. "That's a little demented."

"I call it psychological warfare." Connan shrugged.

Leia grabbed Connan by the shoulders and shook her, making Connan wince from the burn on her arm by one of the stray blaster shots. "Are you _insane_? You just hurdled down this entire hallway and took out a large portion of Stormtroopers, _without a plan_, and made a wall out of them?"

"That wasn't _all _I did," Connan replied. Leia gave her a slightly desperate look.

"She laid mines down just behind the bodies." Carth explained. "When they get knocked over—"

Carth couldn't finish his sentence because of a resounding explosion at the other end of the hallway. Screams came next, and then nothing.

"That'll only last a few minutes." Connan said. She looked at Leia. "So, find a way out."

Leia's eyes bugged. "Me? But why me? This is _my _rescue."

"Oh, sorry." Connan said sheepishly. "I didn't think you were the type of woman who waited for someone to do things for them. My mistake." She rubbed her chin. "Now, there has to be a way to—"

The Stormtroopers started shooting again. Han groaned. "Whatever you decide, decide fast. I can't hold them off forever!"

"This is some rescue!" Leia snarled. "You came in here and you didn't have a plan for getting out?"

"A lot of brilliant plans are made up on the spot." Connan defended.

"He's the brains, sweetheart." Han yelled over the fire.

"Hey, he's calling someone _else _sweetheart now." Mission giggled. Connan rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn't—"

Leia grabbed the blaster from Luke and shot the vent next to Han.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" Han asked, shying away from the smoldering vent.

"Someone has to save our skins." Leia replied. She looked at Connan. "Thanks for the idea. You knew all along, didn't you?"

Connan smirked, shrugging innocently. "Didn't have a clue."

"Right." Leia leapt across the hallway, making a shot or two with her blaster. She glared at Han. "Into the garbage chute, flyboy." She tossed Luke his blaster back.

No one understood why Mission, Connan and Carth were reduced to laughter at that point. It started with Connan slapping a hand over her mouth and trying to stop the laughter, but it caught on to Mission, and then to Carth, and all three of them doubled up in mirth.

"I'm not sure I appreciate him stealing my nickname," Carth murmured between fits of chuckles.

"Aw, it's not that bad. You had it first." Connan said, smiling and biting her tongue to stop from giggling.

Leia shrugged, completely confused, and drove through. Chewbacca came up next, staring at the long way down and shaking his head.

"Get in there, you furry oaf!" Han cried. Chewbacca growled at him. "I don't _care _what you smell." Han kicked Chewbacca, who had bent over to inspect the small area, and he fell through. "Get in there and don't worry about it."

"You go," Connan shoved at Mission, who took the advice and dove headfirst into the chute.

"Wonderful girl!" Han shouted. "Either I'm going to kill her, or I'm beginning to like her."

"Luke, get in!" Connan propelled him forward. He shrugged and hurdled into the chute.

Connan went next, only because Carth kept her resolutely in front of her. She went in headfirst and closed her eyes.

She landed in the middle of garbage, and immediately threw up. She turned her head and rolled out of the way so Carth wouldn't run into her as she did. Mission was at her side in an instant, pulling back the tendrils of hair that had come out of their place and patting Connan's back.

"I'm sure this isn't a good smell at all." She said pityingly, laughing sadly.

Connan shook her head. "That fun ride didn't help any. My stomach's all turned around."

Carth, who had shown up sometime after Mission got to her, grasped Connan by the shoulders and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Connan nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little seasick. The fall down the chute, and then the horrible smell made me sick."

"She already threw it up, so don't worry." Mission replied. "But she just emptied her stomach, so she'll be hungry in a little while."

Connan scoffed, wiping at her mouth, hoping to get rid of the taste. "Yeah, I'm sure won't like _that_."

Carth frowned. "It what?"

Han plowed through the chute, stopping Connan's reply, and groaned, sitting up. "The garbage chute was really a wonderful idea." He droned. "What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

Leia glared.

"Look," Connan stood, looking around. Her previous good mood was gone, probably somewhere along the trash where she'd just been sick. "Let's just get out of here, okay?"

"Get away from there." Han ordered Chewbacca, making him pull away from the door. Han held up his blaster and aimed.

"No, wait!" Luke, Connan, and Carth called out simultaneously.

Too late. Han fired, and the shot rebounded off the walls. Connan hit the ground, grabbing Mission and dragging her with her. Carth came down next, trying to cover up Connan and Mission.

"Will you forget it?!" Luke screamed when the fire dissipated. "I already tried it! It's magnetically sealed."

"Put that thing away! You're going to get us killed!" Leia shouted.

Han gawked. "Absolutely, Your Worship."

"Stop arguing!" Connan yelled.

They ignored her. Han continued. "Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here!"

"That's not true at all!" Mission replied. "They have the whole ship sectioned off looking for us, they probably had thousands of Stormtroopers lined up to take us down when we went through the front door."

"You know, it's not going to take them long to figure out what happened to us." Han changed the subject completely, making Mission cross her arms and wink at Leia.

"It could be worse." Leia said.

A roar echoed through the magnetically sealed garbage compactor.

Connan tensed. "It's worse."

"There's something alive in here." Luke said.

"That's your imagination." Han growled.

Mission shrieked. "Something just moved past my leg!"

Chewbacca cried out and Luke pointed. "Look! Did you see that?"

A large tentacle ran across the water and quickly retracted.

Wait. Water? Connan blinked. Quickly she reached with the Force down toward the floor, and pushed lower, where the water went deeper. She became even tenser.

"Carth." She grasped his arm tightly. "Something's in here." Mission hooked arms with Connan.

Connan saw it. A tentacle wrapped around Luke's leg and yanked him under. She shrieked.

What she didn't see what a tentacle grabbing her _own _ankle and yanking. She gasped, impulsively letting go of Carth and Mission, barely closing her mouth before being dragged underneath the water, vaguely wondering how the water could be so deep that it could hold something that big, and carry her down completely underneath the water.

She could hear voices, even underneath the water. She kept her eyes closed as a tentacle wrapped around her neck and squeezed.

On the plus side, her oxygen wasn't completely cut off. Connan slowed her pulse down so she could keep that same last breath she took for a very long time. Then she gripped at the tentacle around her neck and tried to pry it off.

It wouldn't budge. Instead, another one wrapped around her legs and began pulling in both directions.

She could still hear the people above. The monster, occupied as it was with trying to subdue Connan, and accidentally let Luke resurface. He had grabbed onto something and yelled for someone to _shoot _the thing.

Blaster shots, Connan learned, were strangely muffled underground, and sounded like someone hitting a wall with a fist, instead of their regular high-pitched sounds.

The monster screamed and the tentacles around her loosened up enough for her to gain some semblance of control again, and she remembered where she was.

Connan screwed her closed eyes shut tighter and concentrated. The thing had obviously been shot, and in its pain had almost let go of Luke. It remembered Connan again quickly, though, and held on tighter and began pulling her away.

Connan would have none of it. She grabbed onto one tentacle with both hands and _yanked_, adding extra Force to her momentum.

The tentacle came clean off.

In double amounts of pain, the thing began thrashing about, dragging Connan—and Luke still, she suspected—every which way until she was completely dizzy and her nose burned from all the water.

Connan was about to tear off another tentacle when it simply let go.

Connan didn't stop to think about why it left so quickly, she simply used the Force to find Luke and hauled him to the surface with her.

"Help them!" Connan heard Leia scream as they broke the top and bobbed up and down, coughing. Han grabbed Luke and dragged him up, and Carth picked Connan up completely and set her down again next to him. He began wiping the water from her face, pulling her hair back so he could see her better. "What happened?"

Connan coughed. "I don't know. It just let go." She explained, snorting water out of her nose.

"It's gone." Luke replied, standing up and wobbling around.

"Are you okay?" Carth whispered, checking her over. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Connan spluttered again, but shook her head. "My nose burns."

Carth laughed in spite of himself. "I was so worried about you. I thought you were going to leave us here."

Connan shrugged. "I'd find a way back."

Mission wrung the excess water out of Connan's ponytail. "You didn't get hurt at all?" She asked.

Connan still shook her head. "It tried to rip me in half. I ripped its tentacle off." As proof Connan showed the part of the tentacle still gripped tightly in her hand before she threw it back into the water.

There was a loud clanging noise. Connan frowned and looked up. Carth and Mission looked around.

"I have a bad feeling about this" Han stated.

Chewbacca growled to them. **"Something's going to happen. I can feel it."**

There came a creaking sound, and Connan was shoved to the right slightly. She jerked, looking at the wall. Did it just _move_?

"The walls are moving!" Luke cried.

Connan sighed. Yes, yes they were.

**XXXXX**

**Good afternoon, everyone! How are you all? Good, I hope. I know I am. I have region tomorrow (I know last week I said it was Wednesday. My band director lied to me. It really is this Monday. I checked.) Wish me luck!**

**Our football team won the quarter finals against Stephenville yesterday. If you remember, we played them once before and beat them something awful, like 59-3, because we knocked their quarterback out cold in the first play of the game last time. Well, this time they were out to get us. We beat them 27-24 this time. It was the best game of the year. We won because our defense is better than our offense team, which is sad but true. We play Sulphur Springs next week in the Texas Stadium, so either cheer us on because it's the semi-finals or pray we lose so the band can catch a break! Either one is fine, really.**

**I'm on chapter 35 and I'm 1:21:39 of the way through. So come back next week, and I'll tell you if I made region or not! And if we lost and such.**

_**Amme Moto**_


	12. Violence and Guilt

"…_**Unhappy, tortured,  
**__**Your suffering, your death,  
**__**Has shaken this house to its foundations.**_

_**You were daring, you who died  
**__**In violence and guilt.  
**__**Here was a wrestling: your hand against your life.**_

_**Who can have cast a shadow on your life?"**_

—_**Hippolytus**_

**Chapter Twelve: Violence and Guilt**

"Don't just stand there!" Leia cried, digging through the trash for something long. "Try and brace it with something." Luke, Han, and Leia looked around frantically, scouring through the trash.

Chewbacca shook the door handle, whining when it wouldn't budge. Leia yelled for help when she found a long beam to brace the compactor with. She and Han set it up, hoping that it would catch.

"If we're in a trash compactor, planting something like that won't work. It'll crush that, too." Mission explained, grabbing Luke's comm. link and pressing the button. "C3PO. Are you there?" There was silence on the other side of the comm. link. Mission sighed and kept trying. "3PO. Where could he be? 3PO!"

"Connan," Carth pulled Connan up from where she was still sitting, blowing water out of her nose and coughing. "Could you hold the walls apart?"

Connan shrugged. "I could try." She opened her cloak and pulled out a lightsaber. She handed it to Carth. "Take this. Turn it on at the door and melt it down." At Carth's skeptical look she shook her head and forced the saber into his hands. "Don't give me that look. Push this button down and flick it upward at the same time to turn it on. _Don't touch the beam_." She continued when Carth laughed. "You'll be able to tell when it pierces all the way through the door. Make a big hole. When you've finished turn off the saber and get Chewie to help you push the metal through the hole you made."

Carth gave her one last nervous look before turning and heading for the door.

Connan sat down, crossed her legs, closed her eyes and thought. She mentally reinforced the rod that was currently whining under the pressure of the walls and began pushing.

At first nothing happened; the walls kept coming toward them. Luke became a bit panicked and snatched the comm. link from Mission, screaming "3PO! Will you come in?!" Han hefted Leia upward onto the top of the trash, then turned to help Mission. Connan could hear the familiar hissing sound of her lightsaber turning on. She kept her eyes closed and pushed harder.

The walls creaked and stopped moving, buzzing with the strain of somehow being held back.

Han stepped back from the wall and stared. "What happened?"

Connan could feel the same pressure she'd felt on Geonosis, when holding back the pot holding Padmé captive shortly before they were caught; the pressure she'd felt amplified when she picked up the _Invisible Hand _during their last stay. It weighted down her shoulders and crunched her teeth together. It made her muscles cramp and made her head nearly split in the pain.

She ground her teeth together and pushed harder.

The walls groaned, trying to fight whatever was holding them back, and began moving _backward_.

"Connan? Are you all right?" Han's voice called. Connan could feel him reaching out to her.

"Don't do that!" This voice was Mission's, she could tell. She knew Mission would know not to touch her. She would be all right for a bit longer.

"_Are you there, sir?" _C3PO called from the comm. link.

"3PO?" Luke exclaimed. He listened for a moment and shook his head. "Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level, will you?"

Connan could hear her saber sheathing itself, now, and heard a grunt as Carth and Chewbacca shoved at the hole made.

"Everybody out, quick!" Carth called. Han shoved Leia out of the hole first, followed by Mission. Chewbacca went after, dragging Luke with him.

Han and Carth looked at each other and made a beeline for Connan, who was still sitting with her eyes closed and her teeth clenched. They knelt down on each side of her.

"Connan," Carth said. "The door's open. Let's go."

Connan opened her eyes and looked up, resolutely ignoring the gut-wrenching pain raking through her body. "If I move, I'll lose my concentration and the walls will keep coming; faster, even, because they've been putting more and more pressure in an effort to start moving again."

Carth sighed. "Then we'll have to move very quickly."

Connan nodded and looked at Han. "Go ahead and get out."

"What, and leave the two of you to possibly be crushed?"

Connan smirked. "We won't be crushed. If we disappear, we'll come back."

Han frowned. Before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "It'll be easier to get two people out than three. Go and tell the others to stand back."

Han kept his eyes on Connan, but finally backed out quickly. You could hear him barking orders to the ones already outside.

"You ready?" Carth asked, leaning down and slowly touching Connan's arm. She'd been expecting this, so it didn't make her lose her focus. "One, two three!"

Connan leapt up at the same moment Carth yanked her. The doors sprang back to life and began moving with alarming speed towards each other. They half-dragged, half-pushed each other to the other side of the room toward the door.

Connan could hear the others shouting encouragements for them to make it out all right. Han had them standing back against the wall so it would be easy for the two to get out.

When they made it to the door there was only just enough time for Carth to throw Connan through. She crashed through the door and fell backward. She sat up and cried out as Carth barreled through the door before it became too small for him to move.

When they both made it through, the doors stopped abruptly. R2 had shut them off.

Connan's eyes widened as she made a grab for Carth, holding him close and letting him keep hold of her. The others flew around them in moments. Everyone was laughing and Leia had been scared senseless. She latched onto Connan and hugged her tightly, saying something about almost being killed. Connan chuckled when she heard Luke sighing and grumbling about the "no good droid C3PO" who only barely stopped the trash in time, but he was laughing too.

"_Oh, listen to them dying!" _C3PO's voice commented from the other side of the comm. link. He began ranting about not getting there fast enough when Luke cut him off.

"We're all right, 3PO! You did great!"

Connan scoffed. "Well…."

"Let him have his moment." Carth replied.

Connan shrugged and wrapped her arms more tightly around Carth. "What was the deal with pushing me through, first? _I'm _the one more capable of getting back here if we die."

Carth shook his head. "That's not the point. I will _never_ choose myself over you."

Connan blinked, then blushed and grinned. "I think I can understand that."

**XXXXX**

For such a large space station, Obi Wan was surprised the people didn't notice him.

True, he did take the pains of remaining hidden at times, but when he came close to one of the tractor beam terminals, he lost all sense of caution and simply began walking. Not a soul stopped him.

The terminal was inside a small hallway; a very small hallway, with only a small board for a walkway. To the left and right there was simply nothing. The tractor beam lay to the left a ways off, causing Obi Wan to jump a bit to have to get to it.

He held on tightly. It would do no one any good to die at this particular moment. He inched his way around the back just in time for a troop of Stormtroopers to miss him as they walked through. He stayed perfectly still, and tried to layer on a small amount of that cloak Connan had used when they were stuck on the _Falcon_.

He was a bit shocked to find that he was already covered in one. He could feel its indignation perk up at the thought of it needing help and smiled. Connan had saw fit to try and protect him.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Obi Wan felt like crying.

He wiped away the thought as he rubbed his face. As the Stormtroopers walked by, he pulled the handle for the first power strip down. He shuffled a bit to the side and did it again to the second one. He sighed, glad that his actual job was done.

Now that he didn't hold any obligation to anyone, he was going to do what he intended to do when they got here.

**XXXXX**

When they finished celebrating their small victory, Han had found some spare clothes in a nearby storage room. As the others changed out of their clothes and put on dry ones, Connan simply ran around the room until they weren't wet anymore.

"Your clothes are going to get brittle." Leia warned.

Connan shook her head. "Not my Revan Robes. They've been through worse."

Mission grinned as she happily slipped on another black vest. "Did you really call them Revan Robes back then?"

Connan shrugged. "Everyone else did. They were just 'my robes' to me."

"Revan Robes?" Leia asked. She blinked. "_Revan_?"

Connan frowned at her. "Is there something wrong with that name?"

"No. No, not at all…." Leia shook her head and smoothed out her new clothes.

"If we can avoid anymore female advice we ought to be able to get out of here." Han insisted, handing a blaster to Luke.

Leia opened her mouth to retort but Connan beat her to it. "Well then let's just get out of here."

A small roar came from the garbage room, making Chewbacca roar and rear backward.

"What?" Han asked. "Where are you going? Aww…." Han pulled his blaster out and aimed it inside the garbage room.

"No, wait! They're hear!" Leia shouted.

Too late. Han fired a shot and it exploded loudly into the room. Connan shook her head, grabbing her two lightsabers from her robes, just in case.

Leia rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly as Han made his way to Chewbacca. "Come here, you big coward." Chewbacca shook his head. "Chewie, come here."

"Listen." Leia snarled. "I don't know who you are, or where you come from, but from now on, you do as I tell you, okay?"

The dumbfounded look on Han's face is what really got Connan giggling. She saw Leia turn around and barely smirk at her before she began walking down the hallway. Han followed.

"Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person—me."

"Hmm." Leia sounded thoughtful. "It's a wonder you're still alive." Leia growled as she bumped into Chewbacca again. He was walking too slowly for her tastes, apparently. "Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?"

As Leia sped up and Han's eyes widened even further, the man threw his hands into the air and sulked.

"No reward is worth_ this_."

**XXXXX**

Obi Wan reached for another power panel on the conduit. As he pulled it down, another group of Stormtroopers stopped to talk. The leader mentioned something about regular report, and they kept walking, leaving two behind to stand at the end of the hallway.

"Do you know what's going on?" Asked one of the Stormtroopers.

Another shrugged. "Maybe it's another drill."

Obi Wan crept around to the other side and looked around. He flicked his fingers, making a barrel drop behind the Stormtroopers. They whirled around.

"What was that?" One asked.

Obi Wan didn't wait for the reply. He was gone.

**XXXXX**

Connan ran to the front of their group and looked down the corridor. "There it is!" She called. "I _told _you we had to turn left at the main intersection."

"Yes, I'm starting to think you know everything." Han snarled.

Connan grinned. "Just about."

"C3PO? Do you copy?" Luke called into his comm. link.

"_Yes, sir." _Came the reply.

"Are you safe?"

"_For the moment. We're in the main hangar across from the ship."_

"We're right above you. Stand by."

Leia scoffed in utter disbelief. "You came in _that _thing? You're braver than I thought."

"Nice." Han growled. "Come on."

They rounded a corner and bumped into the Stormtroopers waiting there for them.

"That them! Blast them!" Came the order.

Han pulled out his blaster and shot one. He ran for the others, who were making a hasty retreat. Chewbacca bolted after him.

"Get to the ship!"

"Where are you going? Come back!"

"Well, he certainly had courage." Leia admitted.

Connan sighed, pulling her bag off of her back and equipping herself with grenades and mines. "I should really go after him. He won't do us any good if he gets himself killed."

"What if you get yourself killed?" Luke asked.

Connan smirked. "Me? Killed? Only of old age." She took off after them.

Carth sighed. There was no stopping Connan when she was like that. "Let's get going." He and Mission turned and headed the other way. "They'll catch up."

**XXXXX**

Connan flew past Chewbacca and caught up with Han just as he turned the corner into a whole fleet of Stormtroopers. He stopped dead, leaving Connan enough time to step in front of him and unleash her sabers to deflect the shots aimed for his head.

"Go the other way!" Connan cried. She used the Force to pull out those few grenades and sent them flying. She and Han turned and ran.

As they rounded the corner, Chewbacca saw them and joined their run.

They turned another corner to get to their ship. Connan turned around to toss another grenade at them and kept running.

"Close the blast doors! Close the blast doors!" A Stormtrooper called. The doors in front of them began closing.

Connan sighed and began running faster. She dived through the almost-shut doors just after Han. She scrambled to her feet, took a moment to laugh as she heard the "Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!" Behind them, and took off again.

"What were you doing here?" Han asked as they ran. "You could have been killed!"

"Why is everyone always assuming I'm always going to die? I was more worried that _you _were going to die than me. _I _can always find a way back."

Han growled as he didn't understand what she was talking about.

**XXXXX**

Carth and Mission took the lead, making sure there was no one in front of them while Luke and Leia followed, shooting at people coming.

Carth opened a door and prepared to rush through, but instantly stopped.

There was a small ledge, large enough for the four of them to stand on, but then there was a huge hole in the middle, leading to another small ledge on the other side. He barely stopped himself from plummeting to the bottom, and would have if Mission hadn't stopped as soon as he had.

"I think we took a wrong turn." Luke whispered. He turned and started firing again behind them. Mission punched the small pad on the wall next to them and the doors shut.

Leia turned to inspect the door. "There's no lock!"

Carth shrugged, pointed his blaster at the pad, and shot it.

"That should hold them off for a while."

"We have to get across. Find the controls that extend the bridge!" Leia shook Luke's arm.

"I think Carth just shot them." Luke replied.

A bang was heard on the other side. "They're coming through!"

They ducked as people from another door, nearby on the other side but upward, began firing at them.

Luke sighed and looked around. He nudged Carth's arm and looked up. "See that metal pole? We can use a rope and swing from that."

Carth nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out a small grappling hook. He handed his gun to Mission as Luke handed his to Leia. "Hold this."

Mission took his blaster and instantly began firing.

Luke and Carth began getting their grappling hooks ready.

"They're coming through!" Leia cried as the door opened a bit, enough for them to see the Stormtroopers' feet.

Carth threw his hook upward. It flew around the pole and latched on. Luke's came quickly after.

"Mission," Carth grabbed the girl. "Hold on tight."

Out of the corner of his eye, Carth saw Leia kiss Luke on the cheek. "For luck," She explained. Carth smirked. Connan would have a good laugh later when he told her about the blush that flew across Luke's face before they leapt off of the ledge and to the other side.

And not a moment too soon. The door had opened just enough that the Stormtroopers could crawl underneath and take shots at them.

"We're through. Let's get going." Carth said as he pulled his hook loose. He and the others turned and ran.

**XXXXX**

"We think they may be splitting up." One of the Stormtroopers said as they ran by. "They may be on level 5 and 6 now, sir."

Obi Wan frowned as he walked by. Were Luke and Connan getting into trouble? Why hadn't they stayed put?

Oh, well. It was no matter. Connan could take care of herself; he was sure she could protect a few others, too.

He entered the hallway and withdrew his old, worn out lightsaber. It had been quite a while since he'd had to use it to protect himself. He stretched his tired body and continued down the corridor.

His walking slowed when he saw a tall, dark figure standing at the end of the hallway with his blood-red lightsaber drawn out. Obi Wan stared silently as the man—Darth Vader—walked forward calmly. Obi Wan lit his saber and crept forward as well.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi Wan." Vader started. His mechanical voice sounded completely unlike that of Anakin's that Obi Wan nearly forgot that the two were one and the same. "We meet again at last."

They both raised their sabers aggressively. "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now _I _am the Master."

Obi Wan scoffed sadly. "Only the Master of evil, Darth." And he struck.

Obi Wan never really expected to make any small dent in Vader. He knew that he himself was too old and tired to make much fuss during a fight, and he thought that Vader would at least—being in his mid-thirties (which Obi Wan had been in the middle of the Clone Wars)—have been stronger than him.

He was, however, wrong. After all these years, they were still evenly matched. The years had not been kind to Obi Wan, that much was true, but they had been worse to Vader. His moves were just as sluggish as Obi Wan's, if not slower.

Obi Wan threw himself backward, out of the way as Vader's saber as it connected with the wall.

The two were at a standstill once again, Obi Wan out of breath. He took a rueful moment to consider that he wouldn't be able to tell when Vader was out of breath because of his breathing mask. Vader took the time to speak.

"Your powers are weak, old man." Vader taunted.

"You can't win, Vader." Obi Wan replied. "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can ever imagine."

They sparred again, this time lunging at each other, playing for their pressure points and vital organs.

"You should not have come back." Vader insisted.

Obi Wan resisted the urge to sneer and started again, inching backward as Vader drove him away.

**XXXXX**

Connan groaned as she saw the number of Stormtroopers guarding their ship. "Didn't we just get past these guys?"

Chewbacca groaned in agreement.

A panting Luke joined them, followed by the rest of the people. Carth went straight to Connan and looked her over quickly. She seemed fine enough.

"What kept you?" Han asked.

"We ran into some old friends." Leia stated.

"Is the ship all right?" Mission asked.

"It looks fine." Connan answered.

"I just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission." Han muttered.

Just as he finished his sentence, the Stormtroopers disappeared. They ran off to the side. Connan frowned.

"Look." Leia pointed.

"Now's our chance. Go!"

Connan darted out first, followed by Luke and the rest. Luke and Connan stopped dead.

"Ben?" Luke called.

Connan froze for a moment. Obi Wan stood, lightsaber at the ready, against Vader, who would probably look smug if he didn't have a mask on. The Stormtroopers were surrounding them.

And the next moment Connan was running. She and Luke left the others to get onto the ship.

Obi Wan looked toward them, glanced at Luke, and gave Connan a sorrowful look.

"_What are you doing?" _Connan asked. _"We're done! Come on, let's go—"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"What?" Connan asked aloud.

Obi Wan closed his eyes, held his saber up, and took one last, calming breath.

Connan's eyes widened as she realized what was happening just at the moment that Vader wound his saber up like a bat and swung.

Obi Wan disappeared.

Connan barely heard Luke's anguished cry of "No!" when her whole world exploded into pain and rage.

**XXXXX**

**Well I'm done. I got a lot of this done last week, but with it being the Christmas holidays, I never really had any time to finish it. By the by, did you have a nice Christmas?**

**I was **_**going **_**to make a Christmas fic (actually two fics but same thing) but I didn't get them done in time, so they'll just be regular fics. I'll get those done soon.**

**Just for people to know, I got eleventh in region for music, out of about twenty three in my section. But there were two sections, and most of the people who beat me were 5A, and they should be in a section completely by themselves.**

**Our football team once again got to the semifinals undefeated, and we took a harsh blow and lost there. Too bad I didn't go; I was knocked out with the flu at the time. I missed four of the five days of school, and the one day I didn't miss was the region day.**

**I'm on chapter 38 and I'm 1:32:26 of the way through.**

**So I'll see you guys next week! **

_**Amme Moto**_


	13. End Of Evil

"_**But where is the end of this evil?  
**__**Where do they forget the dead?  
**__**Among what peoples?"  
**_—_**Electra**_

**Chapter Thirteen: End Of Evil**

Connan was a very habitual person. She always had been, even when she was Revan. She got up at the same time every morning (ever _late _morning, but that was beside the point) and got breakfast, before going about her day. She always dealt with things the same way. She dealt with happiness as it should be dealt: administered mostly to Carth and then to the rest of her crew. With sadness she would mope around for a while and simply think about what must be done. With anger—anger at herself, mostly—she would destroy things; either hers or Carth's.

And Connan was not a very angry person. Everyone knew that about her. She would forget about whatever made her angry and bring it up again later when it was needed; until then she would be as calm and unaffected as a stranger to the incident would have been. Even in moments when the effects of anger have to be immediate, she still kept control of herself and used the intense feeling to benefit herself.

But for those times when rage overtook her, when pure, undiluted fury tore through her, her old habit would spring up on her, and she clung to them like a lifeline.

She didn't remember much about those first few seconds. She saw Obi Wan disappear into thin air. Her first rational thought was that maybe—just _maybe—_he had escaped to somewhere else. A second later, however, came the harsh, painful ripping of a life taken away from her; similar to the gash she'd felt when they'd finally taken down Darth Traya. And she knew it without a doubt. Obi Wan Kenobi was dead.

And she was just so _angry _at that thought that she couldn't stand it. Her last tie to the last thirty years had been completely cut off, killed by his own apprentice.

Behind her, she heard Carth mutter some word that would ordinarily make even _her _gasp and reprimand him, and he called to her, just loud enough so she would hear. She didn't care.

She vision narrowed, though she didn't know how. She only saw in a clear line across her vision. She focused the rest of her Force energy to remind her of others. Her head felt oddly weighted down, but remarkably more protected than usual. She swished her cloak around her, grabbed for her lightsabers, and leapt past the Stormtroopers, straight to Vader.

**XXXXX**

When Carth saw Obi Wan struck down, his first thought was how sad it was that Anakin had fallen so far.

His second thought was much worse. He could feel the tension in the air intensify, as did everyone. The room became stock-still for that one moment, and Carth looked to Connan.

When he did he swore, using a word he would never repeat again in his life, and called out to her, not only breaking the moment for everyone but not having a single effect on Connan.

Connan was _furious_. He had never seen her this angry before. She just stood there, eyes opened wide, hands clenching and unclenching sporadically, trying to figure out what just happened.

Then, a moment later, the tension seemed focused, as if it had pinpointed its target, and the Stormtroopers nervously pointed their guns toward the angry woman.

And everything happened so fast not even Carth could recount it clearly. He lost sight of Connan; he knew only enough that she had jumped the chasm between them and the Stormtroopers and was now taking them all out, as quickly as she could.

Luke pulled out his blaster and began firing aimlessly, hoping to catch someone. Carth shoved Leia into the ship, followed by Mission.

"Luke, it's too late! Luke, get back!" Han yelled. Luke paid no attention. He took a moment to aim at a Stormtrooper and fired, only missing because Connan just shocked him to an unrecognizable crisp.

Carth looked ahead and saw Connan turn to fight Darth Vader. He was already inside the room, and so close to Connan that she couldn't Force Jump away to the ship without him following.

Carth broke into a run toward Connan.

**XXXXX**

Luke wasn't too sure how he was going to back away. He had already lost Obi Wan, and when Connan jumped into the middle of the Stormtroopers and he began firing at them, he was determined not to leave until Connan was back on their side. He would _not _have someone else die while they were so close to escaping.

"_Luke," _Said an eerily familiar voice. He shook it off, squinting to get a better shot. _"Luke, listen to me. When Vader is pushed to the other side of the door, blast the door. Then _run_."_

Luke blinked, staring at the doors perplexedly. Vader was already on their side of the doors. How could _Connan_, no matter how much she boasted, beat someone who had been doing this kind of thing for _years_?

**XXXXX**

After the general shock of seeing someone as intimidating as Connan was in that moment, the Stormtroopers began firing, half at Connan and half at the others. Vader, after stepping on Obi Wan's cloak a few times to make sure he was gone, made his way past the doors and was closing in on Connan.

Connan held her arms out beside her, extending the lightsabers are far as they could go. Then she whirled around in one large circle, letting go of the hilts with her hands. She caught them with the Force and sent them careening through the Stormtroopers.

"_Connan." _She heard a voice say as she used a particularly nasty amount of Force Lightning on the remaining three Stormtroopers. She ignored the voice and whirled around on Vader just as he would have struck at her. She met his saber with one of hers, and used the Force to send the second one flying toward his head.

She heard Vader chuckle as he broke their hold and sent her second saber clanging to the floor. _Inhale, exhale. _"You are strong in the Force, I see."

Connan didn't answer. She leapt up and kicked Vader's helmet as hard as she could, sending him to the ground. She twisted her lightsaber in her hand so that the blade faced downward and put all her weight onto her arm.

Vader rolled out of the way. Connan flipped over before she even registered he was gone and retracted her saber from the floor. _Inhale, exhale._

"And you're very fiery." Vader commented. _Inhale, exhale._

Connan sneered. She leapt at him, aiming for his head. He barely blocked in time.

"You _killed him_! He's _dead!_" Connan shrieked.

Vader stood straight for a moment. "What was he to _you_?"

Connan frowned. What kind of question was that?

Before she could snarl out her question, Vader attacked her again. She blocked before ramming her shoulder into him—he had gotten very tall over the years, she only slammed into his chest—and knocking him backward.

"_Connan," _The voice called again, this time more firm. _"You must leave. There will be other chances."_

"_I'll take this one, thank you." _She snarled back at the voice, throwing her weight into another attack that made Vader stumble backward. She threw her arm out and used as much Force as she could, throwing Vader so far back into the hallway that he landed on the other side, where the Stormtroopers were coagulating.

Connan prepared to go after him when a shot from behind her landed on the door controls. The melted locks shut down, and the blast doors shut tightly on themselves.

Connan growled, determined to have her way. She began forcing the doors apart.

A pair of arms circled around her, one around her shoulders and one around her waist. The arms yanked her backward. Connan began struggling to get away from Carth's arms, which were dragging her back to the ship.

"Let me go!" She shouted, her breath still ragged in fury. "Let me kill him!"

"No, Connan."Carth replied quietly, quickening his steps. "There are thousands beyond thousands of Stormtroopers here."

Connan scoffed, kicking her legs up. Carth held on tightly. "_So_ _what_? He's _dead_, Carth, he's dead and I have to—"

Carth sighed, hauling Connan back as she almost got out of his grip. "Connan, calm down. You're not doing any one any favors."

"I'm going to _kill him._ _That _will be my favor." Connan made another desperate lurch in Carth's hold, which remained strong.

"Connan, you're scaring me."

At this Connan stopped. Carth's arms immediately held tighter.

"_Please_. Don't hurt Luke anymore than he already is." Carth whispered.

They were close enough to the ship now that Mission bolted out, grabbed another part of Connan and helped drag her inside the ship.

As soon as the ramp was closed, Connan was released and the ship sprang into the air. Connan leaned against the wall and sighed heavily, looking around.

"Are you okay?" Mission asked her. "You didn't get hurt, did you? Connan?"

Connan shook her head. "I'm not hurt."

Then she frowned. Her vision was still narrowed, her head still felt weighted, and Carth and Mission were looking at her strangely. She pulled at her head, and her cloak hood fell off. Reaching to the back of her head, Connan unfastened her Revan Mask and pulled it off of her face.

She stared at it, completely shocked. "I don't remember putting this on."

"I do." Mission put in. "It happened quickly, though, right before you jumped across the ledge. It just floated out of your bag and attached itself. I thought you did it on purpose to hide your identity or something."

Connan shook her head. "I used to wear this when I was either angry or wanted to intimidate people. I guess putting both of those together makes it pretty hard to not fall back on old habits." She shrugged. "That's why Vader didn't know who I was."

Mission snickered. "So he thinks he got his ass kicked by a complete stranger?"

Connan chuckled lightly, glad for a break in the mood. She ran a hand through her hair—now wet with sweat—and looked expectantly at Carth.

He seemed to understand enough. He was in front of her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her tightly, this time not restraining, but simply holding. Connan reciprocated, holding him just as strongly.

"I'm so sorry, Connan." He whispered. "It happened too quickly. No one knew what was going on. I'm so sorry."

Connan bit her lip resolutely. Now was certainly _not _the time to cry. "He knew," She said instead. "He knew he was going to die."

Carth said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"He apologized to me right before Vader killed him. If I had _known _what he was thinking, I would have—"

"But you didn't." Carth interrupted.

Connan sniffed. "And now we're alone." She smirked to herself at the irony for a moment. "We're the only ones left from the Jedi Academy twenty years ago that remember Order 66. _We are_. We're not even _from _this time." She laughed sadly. "I'm going to find Luke."

She didn't really have to look hard. When she found him, he was fiddling with the dejarik board and Leia was placing a blanket over his shoulders. C3PO and R2-D2 stared from the side of the room, sympathetically silent.

Connan sat next to him. "You okay?"

He nodded numbly. "I just can't believe he's gone."

Laying aside for the moment that Connan had known him much longer, and that Leia had just lost her whole planet, Connan wrapped an arm around him and squeezed.

"There wasn't anything you could have done." Leia insisted, rubbing one of his shoulders.

Han ran through the room. "Come on, guys, we're not out of this yet." He looked to Connan. "Can you operate the turrets?"

Connan looked insulted. "Of course I can!"

"You won't go psycho on them?"

Connan barely suppressed the urge to blush. Had _everyone _seen her blitz out?

"No, I won't go psycho on them."

"Good. You two head for the turrets. Chewie and I will keep us from getting shot." Han said. "Carth, come with us."

Carth was up and after Han instantly. Before Connan left she turned to Mission. "Stay with Leia."

Connan followed Luke to a small ladder. On the side of the _Millennium Falcon_. Luke jumped on and began climbing down. Connan followed suit but went up.

Connan sat in the chair and turned on the turret system. As she put on her headset, she tested it out by moving it up and down. It was basically the same system used on the _Ebon Hawk_, with a few minor tweaks here and there. She would do fine on it.

"You there, Luke?" She asked.

"_Here."_

"Good. Stay sharp."

"_Connan," _Luke asked, completely disregarding her order to _stay sharp_. _"I was just wondering… why did you freak out so much when Ben died?"_

Connan sighed, lurching upward as she moved her turret, firing after the first TIE fighters after them. In the background, she could hear Luke firing away, too.

"I've known Obi Wan since he was twenty. I was there when _his _master died, and when he took his first apprentice." She explained. "Shoot where they're going to be, not where they are!" Connan replied when she heard him murmur about them coming in too fast.

"_You mean when he took Vader." _Luke clarified.

Connan gulped. "Obi Wan only had one apprentice."

"_We've lost lateral controls!" _Leia called from the cockpit.

"It'll hold!" Connan shouted.

"_Hear that, baby?"_ Han said to his ship. _"Hold together."_

At that time Connan took one shot at a TIE fighter and it smashed to pieces. She let out a triumphant laugh.

"_So what was my father to Vader?" _Luke asked again.

_Himself_. Connan thought instantly.

Luke shot at a fighter at that time and blew it up. "Got him. I got him!" He cried.

"_Great, kid! Don't get cocky!" _Han shouted from the cockpit.

"_There's still two more of them out there." _Leia informed.

"Luke, just keep firing." She ordered.

"_You didn't answer my question." _Luke answered.

"Can we talk about this some other time? _Please_?"

"_All right, but we _are_ going to talk about this."_ Luke maintained.

"Force, when he's like this, you can _tell _whose son he is." Connan murmured to herself.

As the last two TIE fighters came around the front of the ship, Connan took aim and hit on straight on. Not two seconds later, Luke hit the last one.

"_Good job!"_ Han called from above.

"We did it!" Luke cried, climbing his way out of the turret just as Connan was. He hugged her tightly. "I've never done that before!"

"Come on, let's get to the cockpit and check out what's going on." Connan advised.

**XXXXX**

"Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh?" Han asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching. "You know, sometimes, I even amaze myself."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Leia admitted, cocking an eyebrow at him. Connan smirked. "They let us go."

"Really?" Luke asked. "It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

"Easy? You call that _easy_?" Han snapped.

"She's right, actually. It was easier escaping from here than it was the Star Forge." Connan shrugged.

Carth laughed, tugging her closer to him. "Hon, you were nearly crushed underneath heavy machinery and almost bled to death."

"See? That didn't happen this time, did it?" Connan replied.

"They're tracking us." Leia informed.

"Not this ship, sister." Han growled.

Connan shook her head and crossed her arms. "It wouldn't surprise me. Vader isn't at all stupid."

"What do we do?" Mission asked.

"Wait for them to bring the Death Star to us." Carth answered.

Leia sighed. "At least the information in R2 is still intact."

"That reminds me. What is he carrying?" Mission inquired. She couldn't help grinning at Leia's smirk.

"The technical readouts of _that _battle station." She replied. "I only hope that when the data's analyzed, a weakness can be found."

"There is." Carth said instantly. At people's confused glances he shrugged and continued. "Well, there should be."

"What are you talking about?" Connan asked.

"You remember when you and Obi Wan went to kill… Vader?" Carth started.

Connan nodded. "And you and Yoda went to Palpatine."

Leia gasped loudly and jerked.

"Are you okay?" Han asked her.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "It's just been a long time since someone has called the Emperor that."

Connan cocked her head to one side. "That's retarded."

"Anyway," Carth called their attentions back. "When Yoda and Palpatine—" He said it on purpose, and only paused for a moment, "went into their fight, I stayed behind and hacked into his computer. I saw the layout then. He _can't _have changed it too much since then, because when I saw it last it was practically infallible."

Leia gawked. "You're sure you remember what it looked like? It's been twenty years, after all."

Connan shook her head. "No, it's only been a few months, actually."

"So there are no weaknesses?" Leia asked, suddenly downtrodden.

"That's not what I said." Carth shrugged. "I seem to remember making a few… unnoticeable changes. If we're lucky, they're still there."

Connan wrapped her arms around Carth's neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. Han rolled his eyes and turned around. Leia giggled and looked away, toward Mission, who was also rolling her eyes and gagging.

"That was very insightful of you!" Connan said once they broke apart.

Carth grinned. "I'll remember that you like insightful."

Leia sighed. "This isn't over, yet."

Han gawked. "It is for _me, _sister." He jabbed his finger at himself. "Look, I'm not in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money."

Leia glared. "You needn't worry about your reward." She reprimanded. "If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive."

With that she stood up and looked at Carth. "I would like to ask you more questions about the Death Star plans when we get to Rebel Base." At Carth's nod she stormed out of the room, bumping into Luke. "Your friend is quite the mercenary. I wonder if he really cared about anything, or anybody."

On her way out, Luke looked back at her. "_I _care."

Connan held back a laugh. Mission followed Leia out.

"So," Luke asked as he sat down next to Han in the copilot seat. "What do you think of her, Han?"

"I'm trying _not _to." Han sneered.

"Good." Luke murmured.

Connan could see Carth shake his head and hold down a smirk as they saw Han's eyes challenge Luke's. "Still," Han started. "She's got a lot of spirit. I don't know. What do you think? You think a princess and a guy like me—"

"No." Luke interrupted.

Connan burst out laughing, leading Carth to small chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked darkly.

Connan shook her head and huffed out words between laughs. "Nothing. I swear." She kept laughing.

"She's tired. Forgive her. I'm going to put her to sleep." Carth excused, dragging her along beside him.

"Make sure she eats something sweet before she goes to bed!" Han called, making Carth suddenly remember why he hated that man. "It'll help her sleep."

Carth could hardly wait the four days it would take to get to Yavin.

**XXXXX**

**Hi, guys! How was your New Year? Mine was cool. I went out and partied and watched The Dark Knight like three times in a row. School starts back tomorrow.**

**I don't really have much to talk about this time, so I'll just tell you that I'm on chapter 41 and I'm 1:38:19 of the way through. So I'll see you next Sunday! Please review!**

_**Amme Moto**_


	14. Bereft of Wit

"_**Who of us is so childish or so bereft of wit  
**__**That by the beacon's messages  
**__**His heart flamed must despond again  
**__**When the tale changes in the end?"  
**_—_**Agamemnon**_

**Chapter Fourteen: Bereft of Wit**

By the second day of nonstop travel, Carth was absolutely fed _up _with Han. The man was spending every minute of his day either flying ship, sleeping, or hanging around Connan. He would occasionally bring her things: a snack, a blanket if the ship had cooled off, once he even brought her a table and set up a new game for her to play, which she promptly devoured and became an expert at in a little less than three hours. He basically made sure that Connan never lifted a finger past what she wanted to do.

It was driving Carth _insane_.

What was worse was that he would bring them by around the time Carth would think she would need something like that. It was like Han could read his mind.

Or hers.

But what Carth was more concerned with was the fact that Connan and Mission knew something that he didn't know. They would whisper about it when they thought he wasn't listening. Mission would ask the strangest questions, asking about Connan's health.

Carth _knew _Connan was sick, but he didn't think she was _that _sick. Something else must have been up.

And he had planned to talk to Connan about it, too, but every time he thought to ask, she would get up and do something else, and he would follow her because he wanted to make sure she was okay after losing her last tie to the last twenty years.

That and she just looked so _beautiful_, how could he not want to spend all his time with her?

**XXXXX**

On the third day, Connan sat on the couch in the main hold, her back on Carth's chest. His arms were wrapped around her stomach protectively, and he every now and again would sigh thoughtfully, tickling the back of her neck.

Han had just seated himself on another chair, setting a table up for him and Chewbacca to play dejarik on. Connan paid him no mind, much to Carth's contentment, and instead leaned back on Carth and closed her eyes.

Mission came in on this scene, dragging Leia behind her. The two had made a fast friendship once they were safe outside the Death Star, and they'd been inseparable for days.

Mission plopped down on the main hold table, pulling Leia up with her. Leia looked uncomfortable sitting so informally, and slid down gracefully into a nearby chair.

"Leia wants to know about Revan." Mission stated. Leia turned red and looked away.

Connan opened her eyes sat up, paling. "She what?" She sent a pointed look at Mission, who threw her hands up defensively.

"Don't look at me; she asked about her, and I didn't want to say so I let _you _tell her."

At this Luke bolted in. "Hey! I want to know about Revan, too. You've mentioned that name a few times."

Connan shook her head. "Mission, the last time I told someone about Revan, _she _ended up dead and _he _ended up killing her and a bunch of others, _countless _others, in some misguided attempt to do what I—what Revan did."

Luke's eyes went wide. "You mean Vader, don't you?" When Connan didn't reply Luke went on. "How close _were _you to him?"

"Can we _not _talk about this?" Connan asked.

"What if we ask you questions and you answer them?" Leia asked.

Connan looked at her and blinked; for a moment she had seen Padmé staring at her in awe. "You're too smart. You'll ask the right questions, and I'm too fond of both of you to lie about this kind of stuff."

There was a disappointed silence for a few minutes as Connan went over the conversation in her head. She groaned, crossed her arms and leaned back onto Carth. "What do you think you know about Revan?"

Luke shook his head. "Absolutely nothing, except you call your clothes Revan Robes."

At this Connan grinned and shrugged. "It's easier than saying 'Revan's Robes'."

"My father used to tell me about her." Leia stated. "He said that around four thousand years ago she used to be like the Emperor, and then she changed sides and destroyed whatever it was she helped to construct."

Connan could feel Carth shift. "How did Bail know about Revan?" He asked.

"He said one of his old friends told him about her, to make sure we would know what kind of ally we had." She shrugged. "Whatever that means."

Connan shook her head. It must have been Yoda or Obi Wan, then. "Look, whatever you've been told about Revan, it probably wasn't true."

"Well, I haven't been told anything." Luke pointed out.

Connan sighed. No helping it, then. "A long, long, _long_ time ago, in this very galaxy, on a planet not so far from here, a girl was born. Yada yada yada, bad childhood, etcetera, etcetera, Revan was brought into the teaching of the Jedi." She paused to take a look at Carth, Mission, and Han, who were all staring as intently at her as Luke and Leia were. "Lots of time later, in the war called the Mandalorian War, Revan took control of the Republic army and they won. Revan became a hero."

"Are you deliberately paraphrasing or is this all you really know?" Leia asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I know a _bit _more than I'm telling you, true." Connan replied. "But for the moment it's all you're getting.

"Anyway," Connan continued. "After the wars Revan and her friend Malak disappeared with all of their troops. For months no one knew where they were. Then they reappeared at the head of an entire Sith fleet.

"No one knew where they got the troops, or the supplies, or the ships to house so many soldiers, but they had them. They nearly took over the Republic."

"Oh, that's terrible." Leia shuddered. "What a horrible person."

Luke gawked. "They _nearly _took over the Republic?" He repeated. "What stopped them?"

"One of Revan's old best friends came and tried to subdue her to make her see sense, but her now-Apprenticed Malak shot up her ship and nearly killed her. Her old best friend kept her alive using the Force, but her mind was too wounded and she lost all of her conscious memories as Revan."

"Wow, tough story." Han chuckled. "I don't think I can see a broad nearly taking over the galaxy."

Connan stuck her tongue out at him. "So Revan—not knowing she was Revan—was assigned with her old best friend—not knowing she was her old best friend—to go kill Malak, her old Apprentice who was now Sith Lord.

"So ensues the whole journey. Having crash-landed on an unfriendly planet with only an annoyingly paranoid captain at her side, Revan (still not knowing she was Revan) grew from cocky mechanic to arrogant Jedi-who-was-great-with-tools by the time they'd gotten off the planet with four other people and a utility droid and had been settled on Dantooine for a few weeks.

"More time passes, throw in a psychotic droid, two more crew members, an _extremely _alarming revelation somewhere in the middle where Revan _realizes _that she's Revan, a betrayal that wasn't completely all that surprising, a happy ending, and a _lot _of sappy, sappy romance, and you've got the perfect holovid."

Mission giggled. "There _was _a lot of sappy romance, now that I think about it."

Carth grinned, tugging Connan closer to him and burying his face into her neck. "I've never heard it told quite like that before."

Leia frowned. "My father always said that the Jedi archives have been sealed and no one but the Emperor could have access to them. How do you know all of this?"

Connan grinned. "The three of us are good at knowing things we shouldn't."

Leia frowned. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would we have an ally in an Ex-Sith Lord who lived four thousand years ago?"

"Why would you have an ally in a Hutt's smuggler and his pet Wookie?" Connan countered. "Why would you have an ally in a young farmer? Why would you have allies in three people you've never met before and who have no interest in talking about their past?"

"I'm not sure." Leia answered. "I was expecting someone more sophisticated to rescue me; not that I'm complaining." She shot a look to Han, who gave her a withering look and rolled his eyes.

Connan winked at her. "That's because sometimes the worst people for the job get the most done."

Leia's gaze met Connan's again. "And you think that a four thousand year old Sith Lord will get something done _now_?"

Connan laughed. "Hey, I'm working on it."

**XXXXX**

When they finally made it to Yavin IV and were cleared to land, Connan was ready for some action. They'd spent four days on the _Millennium Falcon_ simply relaxing; which, while being an opportune moment to spend some quality time with Carth, also gave her more than enough time to think.

And Connan did not like her thoughts.

The more she thought about it, the more she told herself she could have stopped Obi Wan's death before it happened. She _knew _she felt something when she hugged him last; why didn't she listen to that and follow him?

That, she knew, was easily answered. She stayed with Luke and Han because Luke still needed protection. He wasn't the best at defending himself and he would probably rush headlong into a sticky situation (which he did).

With four days to contemplate everything that had happened during their stay on the Death Star, Connan was pretty fed up and ready to take her anger out on people.

Then they actually landed and the _Millennium Falcon's _ramp opened. Leia went out first, clutching Connan's hand tightly and dragging her along beside her. Luke and Mission trailed out next, looking around at all the ships and fighters, followed by C3PO and R2-D2, who were mumbling to each other about the flight. Carth, Chewbacca and Han came out last, Chewbacca and Han discussing how quickly they had to high tail it out of there before they were late to Jabba's, and Carth quickly making his way toward Connan, who was looking around for him.

They were placed onto a few simple land speeders and carted off. Carth quickly sat down next to Connan and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"How are you holding up?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine so far," Connan replied. "I just can't wait until that Death Star is destroyed."

"We're going to be meeting with the leaders here," Leia informed them. "And I'll introduce you to them. No doubt you'll want to have a look at our strategy for dealing with the Death Star."

Connan nodded. "I will. I'm good at making things blow up."

They came to a stop and Leia leapt off the speeder, making her way toward an older man in uniform. She kissed both of his cheeks and smiled.

"You're safe." The man sighed in relief as she pecked his cheeks. "When we heard around Alderaan, we feared the worst."

Leia shook her head. "We have no time for sorrows, Commander." Leia nodded toward Connan and Carth. "You must use the information in this R2 unit to help plan the attack. You must also allow these two to help you."

The Commander raised a questioning eyebrow. "And who are they?"

"This is Connan Frai, who fought alongside General Kenobi in the Clone Wars." Leia waved a hand toward Connan, who shook the Commander's hand. "And this is Carth Onasi. He got a good look at the blueprints for the Death Star while it was still in the construction phase, and he'll know where to start looking for a weakness."

The Commander nodded, impressed. "I've heard much from Senator Organa about Connan Frai. Now that she's here with us, I feel better already. Please, come with us."

The Commander led Leia, Connan, Carth, and Mission (who insisted on tagging along) into another room where they just finished plugging R2-D2 into their computer.

"Now, Mr. Onasi," The Commander stated when the Death Star reappeared on the screen. "Where was it you think you saw that weakness?"

Carth stared at the blueprints for some time, moving it around and around until he found the spot he'd amended, hoping that it hadn't been found.

"There!" He cried when he found it. He circled it with his finger. "There it is."

Connan was at his shoulder in an instant, grinning. "Twenty years and it's still there. Unbelievable."

The Commander stared at the blueprints in disbelief, too. "It looks to be only about two meters wide."

"That's more than enough space for a one-man fighter." Connan remarked. She zoomed completely out of the Death Star and studied the outside. "And they don't look completely guarded against one-man fighters. They must not think they pose that much of a threat."

"They probably have TIE fighters."

"So separate our fighters into teams." Connan suggested. "One team makes a run at a time. Someone's got to get lucky."

"That sounds like a plan." The Commander agreed. "Are you going to head out with them?"

Connan nodded. "I am."

Carth gripped Connan's arm and squeezed. "Connan," He whispered. "We're a little out of our own league here."

Connan shook her head. "I will make some adjustments to my own fighter. It'll be fine. Besides, Anakin—" She paled, shaking her head and chuckling nervously. "_Luke _will most likely be going out there, too, and I need to make sure he stays alive."

"And what about me?" Carth asked.

"You stay with Control." She insisted. "And guide the other teams. I'll stay connected via comm. link. She smiled.

Carth closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't like this at all."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Connan replied. "But you know if I have to choose between fighting and controlling I'll choose fighting."

Carth nodded. "I know. Just please, _please _be safe. I don't want to be stuck here without you until I die."

Connan grinned. "It'll be fine." She turned to the Commander. "I'll go up there with them. Carth will be with Control and talk the soldiers through the battle."

The Commander nodded. He turned to a separate computer and began inputting into it. "Since you've been in wars before, and I've had many glowing reports of you, I trust your judgment. You're both hired, and I'm granting you both the rank of Lieutenant Commander."

Connan gawked. "Seriously?"

The Commander nodded. "Senator Organa isn't the only one who used to talk of you. Senator Mothma seems to think you're of a right sort for our cause, as well."

Connan frowned. "Mothma. Mon Mothma?"

The Commander nodded. "Yes, ma'am. That's the one." He saluted. "So, Lieutenant Commander Frai, Lieutenant Commander Onasi, welcome aboard." The two saluted back. "I would like to debrief everyone for this attack. Please have everyone meet in an hour."

**XXXXX**

"I hear you two were hired and promoted in the same sentence," Han grinned as they met up with him an hour later in the debriefing room, standing at the front of the room, toward the side next to Leia and Mission.

"What can I say?" Connan shrugged. "I was never one for grunt work."

Han laughed. "I'll bet. So what is going to happen here?"

"Hopefully we're going to win." Carth supplied.

"What are _you _going to do?" Connan asked, rounding on Han.

Now it was Han's turn to shrug. "I've got to get that money back to Jabba pretty quickly. I'll be out of here as soon as this is over."

Connan simply nodded. "I understand. You take care."

"You, too."

The Commander strutted into the room and behind him the Death Star appeared on the large screen where everyone could see.

"This battle station is heavily shielded, and carries a firepower greater than half the Starfleet."

"Way to start out optimistic," Han murmured. Chewbacca behind him growled his agreement.

"Its defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. So a small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense."

"Pardon me for asking, sir," Started a pilot from the middle of the group. "But what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"

"The Empire doesn't consider a small, one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense." Connan called from the side.

The Commander nodded. "An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station."

For a moment there was silence, and Connan could almost taste the hope of victory that ran through the people. A weakness could be exploited, and they were itching to do something productive.

"The approach will not be easy." The Commander started. He pressed a button and the Death Star on the screen began moving. "You're required to maneuver straight down this trench, and skim the surface to this point." He stopped the frame at the point where Carth had shown them the weakness. "The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port that's right below the main port."

"_This _was the flaw you put in almost two decades ago?" Han murmured.

"Yes." Carth replied in the same tone. "Anything too big and he would have noticed, and they would have checked and rechecked to make sure their Death Star was impenetrable."

"That's impossible." Han stated.

"It's _not_." Connan replied. "A skilled pilot can do it."

"This shaft," The Commander continued, "leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. _Only _a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."

Someone from the crowd sighed. "That's impossible," He muttered. "Even for a computer."

"It's not impossible," Luke started in on him. "I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 at home. They're not much bigger than two meters."

Connan slapped Han's arm. "See? _Someone _thinks they can do it."

"Man your ships," The Commander ended. "And may the Force be with you."

**XXXXX**

"Connan, can I talk to you?" Han asked, glancing up at Carth, who glowered. "Alone?"

Connan shrugged, giving Carth a quick peck on the lips and turning to follow Han. He went over next to Chewbacca, who was busy loading all of their earnings into boxes to get onto the ship.

"Yes?" She asked. "Do you need help with that?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you about this battle." Han said seriously.

Connan frowned. "You're leaving. You have nothing to do with this battle."

Han nodded. "That's true. I'm not talking about me, though."

"Then who?"

"I don't suppose I could talk you out of going through with this battle?" Han asked.

Connan laughed. "I've been waiting for this chance for twenty years, by other people's count. Why would you be able to talk me out of it?"

Han looked around for people listening, and sent sneers at the few people he caught doing so. He lowered his voice imperceptibly. "It's dangerous out there."

Connan spluttered. "You think I'm going to get hurt?"

"No." Han murmured. "I think you would do fine. I—I just—" He once again looked around for eavesdroppers. "I'm not an idiot, contrary to popular belief. I lived with a group of vagabonds for years before I made it out on my own; I've seen my share of problems."

Connan frowned now, wary. "What are you talking about?"

Han sighed, looking particularly put-out, like he felt he shouldn't have to say this out loud. "I know when someone's… pregnant."

Connan simply stared at him, so he went on. "I know that's what the mood swings were for, and I know that's why you've been craving all those different kinds of foods. I also know that from the looks of things, Carth doesn't know a thing about it."

Connan had the grace to look away at that point. "You don't understand."

"I understand you're going into a battle that you don't _have _to go into. Look, just come with me. Bring Carth and Mission if you want to, but you don't have to stay here."

Connan shook her head. "I do. I have to stay close."

"Why?" Han asked. "You would risk your safety over a war? In this state? Really?"

"Because the only reason we're here is because they're trying to get to us. Vader, Palpatine, everyone. They're trying to find me, so they dragged me out into the open, and they picked a _horrible _time to do it, and I can't do anything about it because if I run, they're just going to follow." Then she shrugged. "And I can do more good here than I could from just running."

"What if you get hurt?" Han asked.

Connan grinned. "Please. Me? Get hurt? Not in this era."

Han shook his head at her. "Just please be careful."

"I will." Connan promised. "If you promise to contact us again when you get out of trouble with Jabba."

Han shrugged. "We'll see."

With that, Connan beckoned Carth over and it was like nothing happened.

Han and Connan were having a nice conversation about all the Hutts they'd been in trouble with over their years a short time later. Connan was already decked out in her battle attire (seriously, did _anyone _other than Carth look good in orange? No.) and was helping Han put all of his earnings into boxes to load onto the ships. Carth stood around her, helping.

Luke stormed up to them and stared at Han with a hurt expression. "So you got your reward and you're just leaving, then?" He spat.

"Luke," Connan started.

"Yeah, that's right." Han cut in. "I've got some old debts I got to pay off with this stuff." He shot a glance to Connan and then back to Luke. "And even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?"

His gaze at Luke softened. "Why don't you come with us? You'd be good in a fight. And since Connan won't agree to come, we could use you."

Connan ignored the burning sensation Carth's eyes created into the back of her head.

Luke shook his head. "Come on. Why don't you take a look around?" He sighed, exasperated. "You know what's about to happen; what they're up against. They could use a good pilot like you. You're turning your back on them."

"Hey, what good's a reward if you're not around to use it?" Han countered. "Besides, attacking that battle station isn't my idea of courage. It's more like… suicide."

Luke stared at him a few moments more and finally nodded. "All right. Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that's what you're best at, isn't it?"

"Oh, ouch!" Connan called as Luke stormed off as quickly as he came.

"Hey, Luke!" Han yelled. Luke stopped and turned around, waiting for an answer. "May the Force be with you."

Luke simply stared at him and left.

"'May the Force be with you'?" Connan repeated, laughing. "Honestly, even _I _don't say that."

"Who cares?" Han seethed.

Chewbacca growled quietly, making Han glower. "What are you looking at? I know what I'm doing."

"_All pilots to your stations." _The overhead speaker ordered. Connan sighed.

"I guess that's me." She stated. She kissed Carth soundly on the lips. "I'll be back."

"I'll be here." Carth called as she turned and ran for her fixed-up fighter.

"And you're not worried about her at all?" Han asked.

Carth shot him a look. "Of course I'm worried. And when she comes back, I will probably hound her for it and make her do things my way for a while before I let her go off on her own again."

"If you're that anxious why let her do it in the first place?" Han returned.

Carth shrugged. "I guess because she's her own person. She knows what she's doing; I trust her."

"What if she dies?" Han asked.

Carth laughed. "I honestly don't think that's an option for her anymore."

**XXXXX**

Connan met up with Luke as he wandered down toward his ship. They met in front of Leia, who looked at Luke with concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Luke looked up in surprise that someone was asking him his feelings. "Oh, it's Han." He shrugged. "I don't know, I really thought he'd change his mind."

Leia shook her head. "He's got to follow his own path." She insisted. "No one can choose it for him."

"He has his reasons, Luke." Connan agreed. "Even if he didn't tell you all of them."

"I only wish Ben were here." Luke murmured.

_I do, too. _Connan almost said. She bit her tongue painfully to keep from showing any emotion about it.

Leia smiled sadly and kissed Luke's cheek. Luke stared at her for a moment before wandering off.

"You'll protect him, won't you, Connan?" Leia asked. "You'll keep him safe?"

"I'll do my best." Connan answered, saluting. "And you, you have to make sure that Carth doesn't completely hyperventilate if something goes wrong. Keep him busy if you have to."

Leia nodded. "I will."

Connan patted her head. "Good girl."

After another hug to Leia, Connan turned and ran toward her fighter. A new droid, R7-B3, had been assigned to her ship. It was an older model of droid, but she'd requested an older one. She settled into the pilot's seat easily and instantly began checking over the small changes she'd made to the ship to make it fit her better.

"_All pilots to your stations." _It sounded again.

Connan strapped herself in.

**XXXXX**

**Hey, guys! Not much to talk about this week, except that I've started playing The Force Unleashed, and if I finish it before I get started on The Empire Strikes Back (which I hope I do) then I might add some of it into the next fic.**

**Anyway, I'm on chapter 45 and I'm 1:45:04 of the way through. I'll see you all next week! That'll be my favorite chapter.**

_**Amme Moto**_


	15. Renew the Hunt

"_**What are you doing? Rise, cast off fatigue!  
**__**Let not sleep soothe remembrance of your hurt!—  
**__**Let your heart ache with pangs of reproach,  
**__**With harry a good conscience like a scourge!—  
**__**Come; blow about his head your bloody breath,  
**__**Consume his flesh with blasts of bellied fire!  
**__**On, on, renew the hunt and ****wear **__**him **__**down**__**!"  
**_—_**Eumenides**_

**Chapter Fifteen: Renew the Hunt**

Connan looked around the hangar, going over the controls of her X-Wing fighter in her head. The controls weren't so hard, really, and she was glad she'd made Luke's friend—Biggs?—refresh her memory about these fighters. They were slightly different from the fighters they used to get into the _Invisible Hand, _and when she voiced that out loud she was heralded throughout the hangar to tell the tale.

"I remember hearing about that," The Commander stated, rubbing his chin. "A good twenty years ago. The ship ripped completely in half and floated in the air for a few minutes before it plummeted back onto the ground."

Connan scratched the back of her head and looked around. "Yeah, that was me."

Most people looked at her in disbelief. "But you must have been ten years old when that happened!" Someone shouted.

Connan grinned. "No, I was about thirty-four." The whole hangar lapsed into silence, simply staring at her. "Look, I'll tell you all about it _when we get back_. Right about now we've got a pretty big space station to blow up."

With that, she leapt into her X-Wing fighter and restrapped her seat belt. She looked up at R7-B3 accusingly. "I'm not going to have to get back out again, am I? Are you going to go crazy on me again?"

The droid beeped back. _"It's not my fault this is a suicide mission."_

Connan laughed. "Good. I like cynicism in my droids. It keeps me on my toes."

Luke started his X-Wing and took off. Connan was quick to follow him.

**XXXXX**

Carth made his way quickly to Control with Leia and Mission. They stopped in front of a circular screen and studied it. On each of the green dots on this large map were initials. He could see Connan's dot flying after Luke's.

"Our men are the green dots." The Commander explained. "When the Death Star gets here, the TIE fighters will be red."

Mission turned toward the large map behind them and began a conversation with the man there. He began explaining what the map was for, and how she could use it. Mission caught on quickly, and was soon able to tell fire from her side and fire from the Sith side.

A soldier wandered by and handed Carth his own headset. Carth quickly attached it to his head.

"Connan, can you hear me?" He called.

Static. _"Yeah, I can hear you." _He heard her chuckle. _"Though I think I'm getting déjà vu."_

Carth snorted. "Yeah. This time, don't strain your neck."

"_Or lift a ship."_

"I'll be the guide on this side, Connan, so trigger me into the communications to the rest of the fighters."

"_I'm working on it." _Connan replied. He heard a sharp beep. _"There. You're in."_

"_Death Star approaching." _Carth heard over the announcements. _"Estimated time to firing range, fifteen minutes."_

"All wings report in." He ordered.

"_Red-Ten standing by."_

"_Red-Seven standing by."_

"_Red-Three standing by."_

"_Red-Six standing by."_

"_Red-Nine standing by."_

"_Red-Two standing by."_

"_Red-Eleven standing by."_

"_Red-Five standing by."_

Carth could tell that voice. That was Luke. He made a mental note.

"_Red-Leader standing by." _Connan ended. _"Lock S-foils in attack position."_

"_We're passing through the magnetic field." _Said one of the Reds.

"_Hold tight." _Connan instructed. _"Switch your deflectors on. Double front."_

Carth sighed. She was in true battle mode now.

**XXXXX**

"_Look at the size of that thing!" _One of the Reds muttered.

"Not now, Red-Two. Accelerate to attack speed. Red-Eleven, Red-Nine, I want you two to spot the first runners from above the trench." Connan barked. "This is it, guys. Make it count."

"_Red-Leader, this is Gold-Leader." _Came another voice.

"Copy. What's up?"

"_We're starting for the target shaft now."_

"We're in position." She looked around her in the fighter and shrugged. "I'm going to cut across the axis and try to draw their fire."

"_Red-Leader—"_

"No, Red-Five." Connan interrupted Luke. "Our job is to distract. Follow my lead."

Connan drove her fighter down toward the Death Star and swooped upward again, flipping around and dodging the shots as the turrets fired at her.

"_Heavy fire, boss." _One of the Reds reported. _"Twenty-three degrees."_

"I see it." Connan replied. "Stay low. Red-Two, fire at that turret in three, two…."

She swooped her fighter around to be on the opposite side of the turret that Red-Two was on, and they both fired at the exact same time.

Sparks flew everywhere. The turret gun half-melted, half-exploded, and became completely useless to anyone.

"Good job, Red-Two." Connan shouted as she veered off back into formation.

Static. _"This is Red-Five. I'm going in."_

Connan restrained herself from saying something sentimental. Right now, at the beginning of a battle, was not the right time to say such things.

"_He'll be fine." _A voice rang in her head. She shook it off for later.

Luke began firing at the surface of the Death Star. The resulting sparks nearly caught his ship on fire. He was too low. Smoke surrounded his fighter, blocking him from sight.

"_Luke, pull up!" _Carth cried from his headset.

Luke shot up out of the smoke.

"_Are you all right?" _His friend Biggs asked.

"_I got a little cooked, but I'm okay." _Luke sighed.

"_Watch yourselves! There's a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower." _Mission cued in.

"_I'm on it." _Luke called.

"_I'm going in." _Biggs called. _"Cover me, Porkins."_

"_I'm right with you, Red-Three." _Porkins replied.

"_Careful." _Connan advised. _"They're staring to figure out that they're not hitting us. They'll be sending out TIE fighters next."_

Biggs and Porkins rounded the bend and shot down the turret tower. Another turned and started firing at them.

"_Yeah!" _Biggs called as he turned to fire at it.

"_I've got a problem here." _Porkins reported. The turret firing at them had trapped Porkins into flying in circles.

"Porkins, _eject_." Connan ordered.

"_Red-Leader, I can hold it."_

"_Pull up!" _Biggs shouted.

"_No, I'm all—" _The turret hit him. He screamed and went silent.

"_Porkins?" _Luke called. _"Porkins!"_

"He's gone, Luke." She shook her head. "Take his place."

Luke hesitated.

"Do it, Luke. We need those turrets taken out before the TIE fighters get here."

Luke took his place.

"_I told him to trust his feelings." _The voice in her head stated.

Connan swore quietly.

"_Squad leaders," _Carth came in. _"We've picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters, coming your way."_

"Great." Connan rolled her eyes.

Static. _"Reporting for duty, Red-Leader." _

Connan blinked. "And who are you?"

"_Wedge Antilles, Red-Leader. I was in charge of destroying the comsat so the Death Star can't call for help."_

"And did you succeed?"

"_Yes, Ma'am!"_

Connan grinned. "Good. You're the new Red-Six."

"_My scope's negative." _Luke called. _"I don't see anything."_

"Pick up visual scanning." Connan ordered.

"_Here they come."_

Six TIE fighters flew out of nowhere, hurdling toward their group.

"Red group, stay alert!" Connan called. "New Red-Six, I want you and Red-Ten to get into that trench and clear away some of the turrets they have down there. Make it easy for the runners to do their job!"

"_Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" _Red-Six shouted, twisting around and hurdling toward the trench in question.

"_Watch it, Red-Seven; you've got one on your tail!" _Luke called.

Too late. Red-Seven went down with a cry.

"Biggs, you've picked one up." Connan called.

"_I can't see it!" _Biggs cried. He weaved back and forth. _"He's on me tight. I can't shake him!"_

"Hold still, I got it." Connan aimed her guns and fired at the TIE fighter, hitting it square in the center.

"_Thank you, Red-Leader!"_

Connan barely nodded before she completely froze. She could feel something—feel a ghost of a feeling of something—that she did not like.

It felt like Anakin used to feel when he was angry.

"Red-Eleven, Red-Nine, get down to that trench. _Now_!" Connan stated.

"_Ma'am—"_

"Don't question me, just do it!" Connan yelled. "We'll keep eyes out for you. If Gold team loses its fighters I need you to get in there yourselves."

Red-Eleven and Red-Nine swept away.

"_Now we're outnumbered!"_ Cried one of the Red fighters.

"Not for long." Connan whirled around on two TIE fighters trying to move in a formation. She sent her X-Wing into a spiral and pressed the fire button. Both of them exploded. "Try now."

"_Nice move, Red-Leader!"_

"_Red-Leader, watch your back." _Luke called. Connan whipped her head around. _"Fighters above you, coming in."_

Connan flipped the ship over before she registered they were firing at her. Her fighter jostled quite a bit, and she swore.

"They grazed me. R7, see what you can do with it." She ordered.

"_Jeez," _The droid beeped as it began fixing the problem. _"No wonder none of the other droids wanted to work with you. You're one crazy driver."_

Connan snorted but generally ignored the statement. She zoomed around, feinting left and right. The TIE fighter wouldn't leave.

"_Red-Five, can you see Red-Leader?" _The man in Red-Six asked.

"_I can see her."_

"_There's a heavy fire zone there." _Came someone's reply.

"_Red-Leader, how are you doing?" _Mission called.

Nothing.

"_Red-Leader, answer." _Mission repeated. _"There are more TIE fighters heading straight for you."_

"I can't shake _this one_!" Connan finally cried out.

"_I got it, Red-Leader. Hold on." _Luke swept down toward Connan, who was dodging every which way; flipping in front of turrets and making the TIE fighter destroy its own equipment.

"I can't do this forever, guys." Connan called.

Luke whooshed past her fighter and shot the TIE fighter straight in the face. It exploded.

"Yeah!" Connan shouted. "Great job, Luke!"

"_Red-Leader, this is Gold-Leader."_

"How's it going?"

"_We're starting our attack run." _Gold-Leader continued.

"Got it." Connan replied. "Move into position. We've got two Red fighters down there ready to help, and a few others have already broken down the turrets down there."

"_The exhaust port is marked and locked in." _Gold-Leader commented. He and two other fighters went down into the trench and started. _"Switch all power to front deflector screen."_

"_How many guns do you think, Gold-Five?" _Asked the second Gold member, who sounded nervous to Connan.

Connan spiraled downward and fired at another TIE fighter.

"_Say about twenty guns. Some on the surface, some on the towers." _Gold-Five replied.

"_You've got five minutes, everybody!" _Carth cut in. _"I suggest we hurry."_

"Patience is a virtue!" Connan remarked.

"_Switching to targeting computer." _Gold-Leader continued.

More TIE fighters came out of the Death Star. Red-Nine was crushed. Red-Eleven went next.

Connan groaned. "Keep going, guys!" She called to everyone.

"_Computer locked. I'm getting a signal." _The nervous Gold fighter reported.

Then it was quiet.

"_The guns! They've stopped!" _Gold-Five commented.

Connan felt a chill.

"Stabilize your rear deflectors." She ordered. "You've got company. Red-Ten, Red-Six, a little help?"

"_They're coming in! Three marks at two-ten."_

Connan watched them come in. There were two regular TIE fighters flanking an advanced model.

Connan could feel the Dark Side saturating that fighter.

Before she had time to think about it, the middle TIE fighter destroyed one of the Gold fighters.

"_It's no good," _Gold-Leader. _"I can't maneuver."_

"_Stay on target." _Gold-Five ordered.

"_We're too close."_

"_Stay on target!"_

"_Loosen up!" _Gold-Leader screamed just as the middle TIE fighter blew him up.

"_Gold-Five to Red-Leader, lost Tiree, lost Hutch."_

"I got it." Connan growled.

"_They came from—"_

Nothing.

"Gold-Five."

Still nothing.

The three TIE fighters were missing, as well. "Damn."

"_Three minutes, Connan!" _Carth warned.

Connan groaned. "Red boys, this is Red-Leader. Who's left?"

"_Red-Ten, still alive."_

"_Red-Three's going strong."_

"_New Red-Six reporting for duty."_

"_Red-Two here."_

"_Red-Five holding on."_

"Good. Rendezvous at mark six-point-one." She grinned. "We're going in."

After various whoops and hollers, they moved into position.

"_This is Red-Two flying toward you."_

"_Red-Three standing by."_

"_Red-Leader," _Came the voice of the Commander. _"This is Base One. Keep half of your group out of range for the next run."_

"Got it. Luke, take Red-Three. Stay here and wait for my signal to start your run."

"_What are you going to do?" _Luke asked.

Connan shrugged. "I'll figure something out. Reds –Two, -Six, and –Ten, prepare for your run."

The three Reds maneuvered into the trench.

"_We should be able to see it by now." _One of the Reds stated.

"Keep your eyes open for those fighters."

"_There's too much interference." _Another Red stated. Connan could hear the frown.

"Red-Five, can you see them?"

"_No sign of any—wait. Coming in point-three-five."_

"_I see them." _Came Red-Ten.

"_I'm in range." _Red-Six stated. _"Target is coming up."_

Connan stared. "Just hold them off for a few seconds!"

"_Almost there."_

The middle TIE fighter fired, destroying Red-Two.

"Red-Six, let her loose. They're right behind Red-Ten."

"_I'm almost there…."_

"_I can't hold them!" Red-Ten cried out._

"Pull _up_, guys!" Connan shouted.

The middle TIE fighter shot and destroyed Red-Ten.

"Red-Six, _pull up_!" Connan shrieked.

"_It's away!" _Red-Six shouted as he pulled up and out of the trench. _"It's a hit!"_

There was a massive explosion. It knocked out a whole section of the Death Star.

Connan sighed. "Negative." She called. "It didn't go in. It impacted on the surface."

Connan watched the middle TIE fighter as it ran a ring around the trench, as if gloating toward the X-Wing fighters. Connan growled. Reaching out with her mind to see just _who _was causing them all this trouble.

_Then _Connan said a really bad word.

"_Red-Leader!" _Luke admonished.

"_Two minutes, Connan!" _Mission called.

"That's it." Connan growled. "Luke, would you mind it if we used you as bait?"

There was silence. "I need an answer."

"_Should someone more experienced be better?" _Wedge asked.

Connan shook her head. "Luke is definitely the best choice."

"_What do I need to do?"_

"Start the run." Connan ordered. "By yourself. From the back."

"_But ma'am, that TIE fighter—"_

"—Is not of your concern, it's of mine!" Connan snapped. "Luke, get as far away as you can from the two meter vent and start."

"_Yes Ma'am."_

"_What about us?" _Biggs asked.

"Stay aloft. Stay out of sight." Connan barked. "Do not move in until I tell you to."

"_Can Luke handle that?"_

"_I can handle it!" _Luke cried indignantly.

"If I didn't think he could do it, I wouldn't have proposed it." Connan said with finality. "Get going. We've got less than two minutes."

Wedge and Biggs disappeared almost instantly. Luke flew down to the far side of the trench.

Connan opened her mind as far as it would go, which was pretty far considering who she was. She concentrated on finding the middle TIE fighter as she began pressing buttons.

"I'm going to be in and out of communication with you two, guys." She reported to Wedge and Biggs. "But I'm still here."

"_Copy."_

"_Got it."_

Connan's hands worked quickly, meddling with switches and other things.

"R7, when the advanced TIE gets into range I need you to use this configuration and hack into its system." She told it.

"_What?!" _R7 replied. _"That's not possible."_

"It _is. _All you have to do is send this configuration to _that _TIE fighter."

"_You can't control a TIE fighter from an X-Wing." _R7 seemed to be laughing at her skeptically.

"I don't want to control it." Connan said as she finished calibrating things. "I want to get into his communications."

"_Connan, what are you doing?" _Carth asked.

"Destroying the Death Star." Connan replied.

"_I can see that." _Connan could tell Carth was rolling his eyes. _"How are you going about it?"_

"It takes too long to explain. Just go with it." Connan replied.

She sensed the TIE fighters. "There!" She cried to R7.

The droid beeped in annoyance, but focused on hacking into the middle fighter's communication systems as he dove after Luke inside the trench. Connan wove inside after.

She switched to the comm. link between her and the Red fighters. "Don't move, yet." She ordered. "Wait for my order."

"_But ma'am—"_

Connan had already switched back to the line R7 was sending to the fighter.

"_It's in." _R7 commented.

Connan cleared her throat and opened the channels between her and that fighter and her and Base One. "Can you hear me?" She asked.

There was silence on the other side of the fighter. Connan swooped her X-Wing down behind Luke's fighter and butted up against the advanced TIE fighter once before flipping up and away.

"_What?" _Said the voice Connan was hoping wasn't inside that fighter. Vader breathed in frustration. _"Who is this? How did you get inside my fighter?"_

Connan could hear Carth gasp, as well as a few groans from other people on the other side of Base One.

"Hiya, Vader!" Connan called. "It's been a while. Four days, is it?"

"_Who is this?" _Vader asked, seeing Connan whirling around in the air. _"I see you."_

"Well, I'm not making a very good effort at hiding, am I?" Connan asked.

"_I'll only ask one more time. Who _is _this?"_

Connan sighed. "I can't believe you can't guess. I'll give you two hints: I'm roughly four-thousand years old, and last time we met you cut my arm off."

Silence.

"Need more? When you were around eighteen your mother was killed by Sand People, and a few days after that we were going to be killed by those freaky Geonosians."

"_Connan." _Came the dark reply.

"Damn straight." Connan smirked. "I brought an old friend with me, too! Say hi, Carth."

"_Hi, Ani." _Carth greeted.

"And a new friend. You remember me mentioning Mission, right?"

"_Hey, you!" _Mission called. _"I wish we could have met under better circumstances."_

Luke was getting closer to the start of the actual run. Vader's TIE fighter lurched forward a bit to get closer to him. Connan shot a borderline in front of him, stilling his advanced.

"What are you doing chasing after unimportant people?" Connan asked cheekily. "The only reason I'm here is because your precious Palpatine decided it was time that I come out again. So here I am! And now that I'm right in front of you, you're not going to take the chance of catching me?"

There was another silence. Vader was considering her suggestion.

"Which would Palpatine rather have under his control: an unstoppable machine, or an unstoppable _person_?"

"_I can catch you whenever I want, _Revan_." _Vader boasted.

"Why not prove it, _Vader_?" Connan countered. "Show your Master that the great Vader can beat the unstoppable Revan."

Vader groaned, and turned to bark orders to his two other fighters. They zoomed ahead of him. Vader turned his TIE fighter upward and shot out after Connan.

Connan turned and fled. She switched back to the comm. link between the Red group.

"Now. Now, go _now!" _She shouted. The two X-Wing fighters took off quickly toward Luke.

Connan flipped her comm. link back to Vader, who was chasing after her and firing.

"Still trying to kill me?" Connan called. "I'm no good to your Master dead."

"_He can always bring you back." _Vader growled. _"Dying has never stopped you before."_

"You first." Connan whirled around and fired at Vader, who just barely got out of the way.

Connan sped off after him.

**XXXXX**

"_We're here, Luke!" _Biggs' voice never sounded so good to the boy.

"I was getting worried." Luke admitted.

"_I don't know how she did it, but Lieutenant Commander Frai got the middle TIE off of your back!" _Wedge stated.

Luke blinked. "She did?"

"_It's chasing _her _now!"_

Luke shook his head. "There's no time to think about that. We're going in full throttle, guys. That would keep those fighters off our back."

"_Copy."_

"_At that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?" _Biggs asked.

"It's just like Beggar's Canyon back home." Luke explained.

"_We'll stay back far enough to cover you." _Biggs stated.

Luke nodded.

"_My scope shows the tower, but I can't see the exhaust port." _Wedge stated. _"Are you sure the computer can hit it?"_

Luke ignored him. He didn't need people retelling him his doubts.

He did feel a lot better knowing the middle TIE fighter was off of him, though. When he thought he would be going up against it, he had an extremely powerful feeling of despair wash over him. He would have to ask Connan what that had been about when they got back.

_If _they got back. What had Connan done to get the middle TIE off of their backs?

A turret nearly blasting him away brought him out of his thoughts.

"Watch yourselves!" He called. "Increase speed, full throttle."

"_What about that tower?" _Wedge reminded him.

Luke snarled. "You worry about those fighters; _I'll _worry about the tower."

"_Fighters coming in point-three." _Biggs reported.

Someone fired. Luke heard a crackling noise and winced, but didn't move his head or look behind him.

"_I'm hit!"_ Wedge called. _"I can't stay with you!"_

"Get clear, Wedge, you can't do any more good back there." Luke ordered.

"_Sorry." _Wedge lifted his ship up and out.

The two fighters still stayed on Luke and Biggs. Luke sighed, looking around.

"_Luke, they're coming in much faster this time."_

**XXXXX**

Connan flipped her X-Wing through the air, barely dodging Vader's fire to one of her wings.

"_Connan, Wedge had to leave." _Carth told her.

She heard Vader snicker. _"That leaves two TIE fighters for two X-Wings."_

Connan growled. "They'll be fine." She told Carth. She spiraled around and shot at Vader, who spun in a circle and eluded the attack.

"_You place a lot of faith in that boy who's leading." _Vader commented. _"Who is he? He's strong in the Force, I can tell." _

"Who he is is no concern of yours." Connan spat. "Well… not at the moment, anyway. You're worried about me." She rammed the side of her fighter to the side of his again.

"_Thirty seconds, Connan…." _Mission started to sound panicky.

"_You should tell your friend not to worry. A fringe benefit of being a Time Traveler is that you don't die, you just return to where you're from."_

"I'll tell my friend what I want, thank you." Connan replied.

There was silence for a moment as Vader thought. _"You were there, weren't you? When I killed Obi Wan. It was you who attacked me."_

"And if we weren't in fighters right now I'd probably be attacking you again." Connan answered. "What's your point?"

"_It's just that I can't believe it." _Vader taunted. _"I was skeptical whenever my Master told me of your actual powers, but to be able to best _me _in such a way…."_

Connan groaned. "Is this all still about power to you?" She laughed in disbelief. "So it doesn't hurt you at all that after all these years, after all that's happened, I want nothing more than to kill you?"

"_Anger leads to suffering, Connan." _

"Ah, but maybe suffering can lead to anger, too." Connan replied. "Let's try this again."

She spun around and fired at him.

**XXXXX**

"R2, try and increase the power." Luke ordered. R2 beeped his reply and soon Luke was speeding up and moving with more agility left and right.

He was getting closer.

"_Hurry up, Luke!" _Biggs called. _"Quick! Quick!"_

One of the TIE fighters fired at Biggs. His fighter went down.

Luke was alone.

"_Luke," _Mission cut in. _"Thirty seconds, Luke. You can do this."_

Luke turned on his computer screen and stared at it, focusing in on the vent he was supposed to fire on. He kept an eye on it.

"_Use the Force, Luke." _Obi Wan's voice sounded again. Luke frowned and looked around for a causing. Finding none, he went back to his computer. _"Let go, Luke."_

Luke now stared at the computer. Did he really need it? If he opened his mind to the Force, like Connan had explained to him on their four-day trip here, he should be able to feel when to fire, right?

"_Luke, trust me."_

Well, that decided it. Going on an insanely crazy whim, Luke turned off his computer.

"_Uhh… Luke? You switched off your targeting computer." _Mission called. _"Is anything the matter?"_

"Nothing." He admitted. "I'm all right."

"_Then what are you doing?" _Mission asked.

Luke took a deep breath. "I'm believing in myself."

One of the TIE fighters took a shot at him, hitting R2 square in the head.

**XXXXX**

Connan lost control of the X-Wing for just a moment and it spun around, making her dizzy. In an attempt to right herself, she flew upward. Vader followed.

"_Having trouble?" _He asked. _"It _has _been a while since you've been in one of these. How long has it been since you've seen me last, anyway?"_

"You mean _other than _four days ago?" Connan snorted. "Around two months. And _what _a two months."

"_What do you mean?"_

"Well," Connan started, whirling back around to fire at Vader. He sped off and shot back at her. "I spent most of those two months finding out what I was going to do when I got back here. It's really helped me out."

"_Oh?"_ Vader sneered. _"And what are you going to do?"_

Connan grinned, as if she knew Vader would see it. "I'm going to kill Palpatine myself."

There was silence on the other side.

"_There is a law against using that name, you know."_

"Oh, I knew that already." Connan replied. She fired once more at Vader.

"_We can't keep this up forever." _Vader insisted.

"I'm sure we can." Connan argued.

"_No you can't." _R7 beeped at her. _"You're wearing all the systems down with all this turning and firing. Even an X-Wing isn't built for this kind of movement."_

Then came an attack Connan couldn't dodge. It smashed on top of her, next to R7. She scowled.

"R7, could you fix that for me?"

"_It'll be a lot easier to do this if you wouldn't make me sick to my circuits. The best medicine is not getting hit at all, you know."_

"Shut up and fix it."

A few seconds later R7 beeped in again. _"Well, he got you good."_

"What do you mean?"

"_You're at fifty percent moving capacity."_

Connan sighed. "Well, _damn_."

"_Connan?" _Carth asked. _"What is it?"_

"_You keep using that word." _R7 countered. _"Get a bigger vocabulary."_

Connan turned around to face Vader.

It seems I can't move that fast anymore." She told him.

"_Hmm…. What to do?" _Connan rolled her eyes at him. _"I guess this is where you surrender."_

"_How about not?"_

Before Connan could realize there was another voice in their conversation, the _Millennium Falcon _fired a shot that landed on Vader's TIE fighter, making him spiral out of control.

"_Damn!" _He shouted. He turned and fled.

"Han!" She called. "You scoundrel. I knew you'd come back."

Han laughed. _"What can I say? I had a feeling you'd go and pick a fight with the biggest baddie out here."_

Connan joined in on his laughter as Vader got out of range of their comm. system and she switched back to the Red group's link. "Let's go save Luke."

**XXXXX**

"_WHOA!" _The droid squeaked.

"I've lost R2!" Luke called.

"_Luke, they're here. It's now or never." _Mission called.

Luke could hear shots being fired behind him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for an explosion.

He heard an explosion, but he didn't feel any different. He opened his eyes and looked behind him. The two TIE fighters that had been tailing him had both exploded.

"_Yahoo!" _Han's voice rang though his X-Wing.

"Han!" Luke laughed.

"_I'm here, too." _Connan called, staying in the trench with Luke. _"Go get it, Luke!"_

"_Let's blow this thing and go home!" _Han shouted, pulling himself out.

Luke took a deep breath and fired his proton torpedoes. They went inside the vent. Luke let out his breath and shot up into the air.

"_Let's get out of here!" _Connan yelled, zooming off after Luke.

**XXXXX**

All on all, one Y-Wing fighter, the _Millennium Falcon, _and three X-Wing fighters sped away from the Death Star.

When it exploded, a ring formed around it, making it look like a very bright sun for a moment. Then the particles and debris began wafting around and it more resembled an asteroid field.

Connan shrieked in victory. "We did it!" She yelled.

"_Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!" _Han congratulated.

Connan could practically feel Luke's racing heartbeat as if it were her own.

"_You'll help him, won't you Connan?" _The voice of Obi Wan asked her.

Connan sighed. "Yes, yes, I'll see to it." She said out loud.

"_He has a very long way to go. And you've already got a bond with him and his sister. Use them wisely."_

"Don't sound like you're any older than me, old man! Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can talk to me like you know everything."

Obi Wan's voice just chuckled.

Connan didn't know if she was one hundred percent ready to try another bond with another Skywalker. She shrugged. She'd just have to make it work. When the time came, she'd tell Luke the whole story, leave nothing out, so he wouldn't make the same mistake Anakin made.

_And I won't have to have another bond ripped apart, s_he told herself.

"Guys," She called to Base One. "We're coming home!"

**XXXXX**

**Well, there you have it. It didn't take me nearly as long to make this one as it took me to make the others. It's only four o'clock.**

**You know what sucks? I spent all week trying to make the ugliest looking science fair project I could, and I end up going to the next round anyway. Grrr. I **_**hate **_**science fair.**

**There's only one chapter left, too. I forgot to mention that the last few times. Then I'll be able to start on Episode VI. Which I **_**plan **_**on involving Starkiller in, even if he's dead in the game. Is it sad that I know he dies in the game but I haven't finished it yet? I can't get past the first level of the Death Star, and I keep getting mad when it kills me and I just shut it off. I'll try again sometime and see if I can finish it within the next few weeks. We **_**might **_**not have an Xbox 360 when the week's over. I might kill it.**

**Anyway, I'm on chapter 48 and I'm 1:57:42 of the way through. Have a good week! **

_**Amme Moto**_


	16. Honor

"_**And yet enough, for I harrow them  
**__**To the honor of the dead, if the dead know honor;  
**__**While you are a hater in word only,  
**__**Living in deed with your father's killers.  
**__**I would not yield so—"  
**_—_**Electra**_

**Chapter Sixteen: Honor**

"_How did you get the middle TIE away from the others?" _Luke asked, about five minutes before they would reach Yavin IV.

Connan shrugged. "I'm good at manipulating people." She sighed. "And I'm better at manipulating people when I know what they want."

"_You know what Vader wants?" _Luke countered.

"Not Vader." Connan replied. "Just… not Vader."

And then Luke sighed. _"Are you always going to be this descriptive?"_

That made Connan laugh. "I promise that one of these days I'll tell you my entire story. I'll leave nothing out."

"_Nothing?" _Luke repeated.

"Detail for detail."

Connan sighed. What a day that would be.

**XXXXX**

Connan was up and out of her X-Wing as soon as they landed. The machine hooked up R7 and started pulling him out, and she made a dash for Luke's X-Wing.

"Those womp rats back home must be terrified of you." She grinned, hugging him tightly.

"They never stand a chance." Luke agreed, hugging back. "That was just great!"

The people swarmed into the hangar, cheering wildly and surrounding the two Leia tore Luke away from Connan and began crushing him in her own embrace.

Carth picked Connan up and whirled her around in a circle, laughing with relief. Connan grasped at his jacket and laughed as well, letting her feet drag behind her in the air.

When Carth set her down he kissed her deeply. Connan's arms wrapped instantly around his neck and she kissed him back, completely oblivious to the onlookers.

They broke apart after hearing the catcalls and whistles, and Mission's interjection of "Get a room!" that had everyone in the hangar laughing. Carth tucked a piece of Connan's hair behind her ear and grinned.

"I was so worried." He whispered.

"There was nothing to be worried about." Connan replied. "I've done that before. I'll probably do it again." She grinned. "I'm a fighter."

"You're a crazy person!" Mission cried out, latching onto Connan and hugging tightly. "Taunting Vader like that."

Connan just grinned.

"Hey! Hey!" Han shouted as he bolted into the hangar.

Luke cried out, slapping Han on the back and squeezing him. "I knew you'd come back. I just knew it!"

"Well, I wasn't going to let you get all the credit and take all the reward." Han replied, stealing a glance at Connan and winking.

"I knew there was more to you than money!" Leia couldn't stop smiling.

"I suppose I should thank you," Carth said, working to keep a grin on his face. "You saved Connan's life."

Han shrugged. "It's a matter of morals." He replied. "If she's determined to fight, I'm determined to make sure she doesn't get herself blown up." He grinned cheekily. "I'm a family man."

At Carth's frown, Connan interrupted. "Uhh… let's go see what the damage is on poor R2."

They rounded the ship and stared at the droid as he was lowered down.

"Oh, my." C3PO cried from behind them. "R2, can you hear me?" They set him down on the ground and still he didn't reply. C3PO groaned. "Say something! You _can _repair him, can't you?"

"_Of _course _they can repair him," _R7 pushed himself through the crowd and over to Connan.

"You'll help?" She asked the droid.

"_Sure, I owe you that much."_

Connan frowned. "Owe me for what?"

"_For not killing me with that stupid stunt you pulled. Apparently, you need a lot of psychiatric help, or at least someone around who will tell you how insane your plan is going to be."_

Connan just rolled her eyes. "Yes, he's repairable. R7 said he'd help."

"Oh, you _must _repair him." C3PO admonished. He turned to Luke. "Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help I'll gladly donate them."

"He'll be fine." Connan replied. "I'll look over him myself. We'll see what kind of upgrades we can give him while we're at it."

"_Well," _R7 drawled. _"You're just a Jack-of-all-trades, aren't you?"_

Connan slapped him.

**XXXXX**

It was only a short meeting, but finally Leia got Connan and Luke in a room without people badgering any of them. Mission was in the room too, because she was always by Leia's side nowadays, and Carth was in the room because he wasn't going to let Connan out of his sight.

That was fine. They probably knew all about this, anyway.

"I heard that conversation you had with Vader." Leia explained to Connan, who was leaning her chair against the wall and downing water and lemon-drenched food like her life depended on it.

"Everyone on Base One did." Connan pointed out. "Did you have a question about it?"

"How old are you?" Leia asked.

Connan frowned. "Thirty-two. Carth is thirty-six, and Mission is nineteen. Why?"

Leia raised and eyebrow. "That's not what you said to Vader."

Connan blinked. Oops. She'd forgotten about that.

Leia continued before Connan could talk. "That's not all. Vader called you _Revan_. It's too much of a coincidence."

Luke's eyes bugged out. "Wait a minute. Let me see if I understand what you're implying."

"I'm implying that she _is _Revan." Leia clarified. "I'm saying that the name Connan Frai is fake. I'm saying she's older than she says she is."

Connan looked at Leia sheepishly. "I _might _be a little older. I tend to understate things a lot."

"You tend to leave out whole parts of the story." Luke countered, staring at Connan as if she was a complete stranger to him.

Carth sighed, shaking his head. "It's not that we _wanted _to lie to you," He stated. "But we're just being cautious this time."

"_This _time?" Luke asked.

"This isn't the first time this has happened." Mission answered. "And the last time they told someone specific details about where we're from, they got the wrong idea."

"But you _are _Revan?" Leia pressed. "You _are _over four-thousand years old?"

Connan hesitated. "Yes."

"So you were the raving madwoman we were discussing on the ship."

Connan cringed. "Yes."

"And you're here to stop the Emperor once and for all?"

Connan grinned. "Yes."

Leia shrugged. "Then I'm satisfied for the moment." She narrowed her eyes. "But I want the whole story out of you."

Connan laughed. "Of course. I'll tell both of you the entire story one of these days. I promise. Nothing will be left out."

**XXXXX**

After Connan got a shower that night, she and Carth lay on their bed, wrapped around each other and whispering into the night. They didn't have to whisper; Mission had a room of her own, after all, but they had been through a tough ordeal that day, and they needed the intimacy.

Carth needed it.

Sometimes he hated being such a sap for Connan. She was always so sure of herself, and even when she _did _get hurt during something, she was fighting to get up and assure people she was fine. Even after the battle, when she was exhausted and ready to collapse, she still met with people and answered questions and made reports to the Commander and worked to bring R2-D2 back online. When he finally got her to rest like this, it was very hard not to simply hold her as tightly as he could and drop off to sleep.

And yet, Connan never taunted him for wanting this sort of reassurance. She never made fun of him, she never asked about it. It seemed like she knew it was what he wanted from her, and she gave it without question. She let him trace her face, run his hands through her hair, and generally just make sure she was still with him.

He loved her the more for it.

"How did you know Ani would go after you?" Carth asked, tugging Connan closer at the thought of Vader trying to kill her.

"I didn't." Connan admitted. "I hoped he would. I figured that making him choose between getting me _now _and getting me _later _would become his priority if he knew I was there, and taunting him to make him think he couldn't catch me would make him angry enough to want to catch me _now_." She bit her lower lip (Carth ignored the urge to kiss it; he wanted to _talk _to her now) and looked up at him. "Were you worried at all?"

"Of course I was worried." Carth replied. "You were going into a fight, for starters. Add onto that that you were fighting with Anakin, and that you're still sick, and I was pretty nervous the entire time." He smiled warmly at Connan, who yawned and worked a little harder to keep her eyes open. "What's our next step?"

"I don't plan on going home anytime soon." Connan stated. "I said that the next time I came, Palpatine was going down. I'm not leaving until he's dead." She yawned again. "And it's safer to stay here."

"I had no doubt you were going to stay." Carth countered. "I'm staying with you. Mission will no doubt stay, too. But what are we going to do?"

Connan frowned in thought. "I figured we'd stay with the Rebels for a while, until we found a good place to start looking for Jedi." She finally answered. "Someone higher up than the Commander is promoting us the day after tomorrow, when they give Luke, Han, Chewie and I our medals. We could use this time to make ourselves known to the galaxy."

"That'll make it easier to find us." Carth pointed out.

"For Palpatine." Connan agreed. "But also for the others that we're looking for." She bit back a yawn, Carth could tell, by the way she set her jaw and didn't speak for a moment. "I'll get a meeting with Mon Mothma, who was there when the Rebel Alliance was founded, and get as much information as I can from her. Then we'll find people to help."

"And I suppose Han will want to come, too?" Carth couldn't keep the sneer out of his voice.

Connan sighed. "Han is a nice guy. He'll probably go with us, yes." Connan grinned sleepily at Carth's annoyed look. "Did you see the way he was ogling Leia when we got back today? He _likes _her. I'm going to pick at him tomorrow when we get up."

Connan's smile infected Carth, who kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. "_If _we get up."

**XXXXX**

Two days later, Connan walked down a long aisle of soldiers, who all saluted them at the same time. She was comfortably back into her Revan Robes, which had been carefully cleaned since she'd taken them off. On Connan's left stood Luke, who changed into a snug yellow jacket, and on her right stood Han, dressed in his usual white shirt and black vest. Behind Connan walked Chewbacca, who had spent most of yesterday eating his heart out and was now so full he could barely move.

As they made their way up the stairs at the end of the large hallway, Leia nodded to each of them. She had finally fixed her hair back onto the top of her head, and Connan could tell that she was happy to be clean again.

She grinned when she set eyes on Luke, and that smile continued as she was handed the medals. She placed one over Han's head, and looked away just after he winked at her.

Connan could feel Carth's amusement to her left, where C3PO, R2-D2 (who Connan had _finally _got working yesterday, and they spent the rest of the day fixing him up with new plating), and Connan's new droid (the stupid thing wouldn't leave her alone anymore) R7-B3 stood. Mission was there also, making a big deal out of being as impassive as she could. Connan couldn't help but laugh.

Luke, Han, and Connan all bowed as they were given their medals and turned around to face the soldiers.

They immediately erupted into cheers.

Leia bent down to whisper to Connan. "Mon Mothma said she would be here as soon as possible. I'll set up a meeting between the two of you as soon as she gets here."

Connan nodded. "We're not going anywhere."

**XXXXX**

**Yes, it was a short chapter, but I had to get it out. I got it done before even noon.**

**It probably went so quickly based on the fact that I'm **_**not **_**in a good mood today. The day just started off bad and I've got a bad feeling for the rest of the day.**

**I finished **_**The Force Unleashed **_**yesterday. I think I'm going to put Starkiller in the next one. What do you people think? I'm really liking the idea of Connan going out to find him.**

**The next one is, of course:**

**Empire Strikes Back**

**I'll try as hard as I can to get it out next week. We'll see.**

**Have a good week!**

_**Amme Moto**_


End file.
